WINDSWEPT - Chapter One

Harry woke with a start. He sat up in his bed and grabbed his glasses from the bedside table, wrenching back the red hangings. He turned to grin at Ron.

"Today's the day, mate." Ron said with an expression somewhere between a grin and grimace.

"Yeah." Harry replied, his stomach anxiously churning.

A month ago, red notices had appeared on each of the house notice boards, all emblazoned with the same words in bold, black letters: 'CHRISTMAS BALL.' Reading further into the notice, the Gryffindors had learnt that the ball was to be held on the twenty-first of December, and you had to have a partner to go. This had horrified the fifth year Gryffindor boys.

"We have to ask a girl to go to the ball?" Seamus had exclaimed with an incredulous look upon his face. "No chance." The feeling was mutual, it seemed, between most of the male wizards in Hogwarts. The girls on the other hand, were ecstatic. Everywhere Harry turned there seemed to be small groups of whispering girls, all conferring about the ball. It's just like it was in fourth year, before the Yule Ball, he thought. You can never get one on their own! Ron and Harry still didn't have dates. In fact, they didn't even know who they'd like to ask. It was on this basis that the two of them had decided that today - the annual Defence Against the Dark Arts trip to a small coastline - they would find a girl and ask her to the ball.

As Harry pulled on his socks given to him by Dobby the house elf, he thought about who he could ask. He knew Ron said he didn't know who he'd like to go with but Harry had a small suspicion that he actually had his eye on someone. But Harry himself really didn't know who to ask. He had considered Ginny, but thought that if she got the wrong idea, thought he wanted a serious relationship with her, it could lead to disastrous consequences which would undoubtedly damage his friendship with Ron. He knew that not many people were going to say yes, even if he did find someone he wanted to ask. Everyone thought he was a big-headed liar. It was aggravating, but he had to deal with it. It was going to be hard to find someone, he knew it.

"Ready, Harry?" said Ron.

"Yeah." Harry replied, the butterflies returning to his stomach. How was he going to find anyone? How?

Ron and Harry met up with Hermione in the common room and headed down to breakfast. Once they'd sat down, Harry glanced around, then did a double take. A pair of girls were sitting a few seats up the table, fourth years at least, chatting to Parvati and Lavender.

"Who're they?" Harry muttered to Hermione.

"Sylvia Wood and Madeline Rivers - they got here last night."

"What?"

"They're new students. Hogwarts doesn't usually take new students after first year but apparently this was a major exception. You see, they came from a tiny school in Dorset that no-one knew existed. Suddenly, the headmistress died - they suspect of poisoning - and the school was forced to close. There were eight witches there, and Dumbledore took them in at Hogwarts - apparently they were all very gifted. They're in our year too, I think they seem quite nice."

Harry turned back to look at the two gossiping girls. One had shoulder length, blonde hair and round, blue eyes, the other longer, darker brown hair which hung in who plaits beside her face. Harry was starting to have hope again.

After a hearty breakfast, Harry, Ron & Hermione departed along with the rest of the fifth year to the entrance hall, where their names were checked off on a list as they filed through the door.

"Granger?"

"Yes!"

"Goldstein?"

"Yes!"

So it went on until everyone was out the door. After securing themselves in a thestral-drawn carriage, along with a couple of Ravenclaws who Harry couldn't put a name to, Harry suddenly realized what he had forgotten to ask.

"Ron, how're we getting there?"

"The old Express, mate."

There in front of them stood the gleaming, scarlet engine, steam billowing as the fifth year poured in and found compartments. Harry, Hermione and Ron made their way into the train, clutching their wands and trying to keep their place in the queue. Finally they found an empty compartment and sat down.

"So," Hermione said in a business-like voice, "Who are you going to ask?"

Ron's ears turned pink, and he looked out the window whilst pointedly ignoring the question.

"Well, who's free?" Harry asked.

"Well, Seamus and Lavender are going together again, and Parvati is going with a Ravenclaw her sister set her up with. Ginny's going with Dean and Luna is going with Neville, I think. I've heard that Silvy and Maddy are still free though! All the new girls are."

Harry wondered how Neville could have got a date before he did, and as he pondered over this his scar gave a searing pain.

"Argh!"

"Harry!" He heard Hermione's voice drifting to him. "Harry, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah...I'm fine..." he said. "I'm just going for a walk, okay?"

He saw Ron looking scared and Hermione looking reproachful as he slammed the compartment door and walked along the corridor, not looking where he was going. Finally, he found an empty compartment. He opened the door, and sunk into a seat, closing his eyes.

"Do you want something?"