Ornaments of blue and silver serenaded the perimeter of a small tree. Similarly colored lights were woven around them, occasionally flashing off and on in a mesmerizing sequence. A nearby fireplace occasionally spat out embers, smoldering any loose bristles the tree lost over time…only to hop back in as though they were being ordered to do so. Hypnotic ticking resonated above, the hands of an old clock indicated were peppered about the sky. A tranquil blue chair was the only piece of furniture in use – being occupied by a student slouched over in frustration.

Daniel held his hand, wincing ever so slightly as his quill collided with piles and piles of notes. The header of one particular page read 'Auror Preparation' with several bolded underlines. Resting on the chair's right arm was 'The Dark Arts Outsmarted,' opened to reveal the same underlines scattered from paragraph to paragraph. Daniel's free hand kneaded against his hazel eyes, layering in a tint of red afterward. The very same hand pushed threads of messy black bangs out of his now-fuzzy vision, accompanied by a stifled yawn.

Man, I dunno how Tonks was accepted without even studying…this is strenuous. No matter how much I read, and cram, and force myself to memorize the most mundane information; I still feel unprepared. But I guess…if I wanna join as soon as possible, I need to just suck it up. Luckily I'm ambidextrous…

Daniel used his left hand to rescue the quill, which was slowly drowning under what appeared to be twenty or so pages. Lurching forward, he reached toward a bevy of inkwells scattered about a table in search of one that wasn't empty. They clinked and clanged for a while as he failingly dipped his quill into nothing.

Did I seriously use it all? Come on…the ball's going on, what professor is gonna help me right now? Ugh…

"Shouldn't be long, I think I left it in my trunk underneath my bed." A voice crept in from outside, slowly growing louder and louder. Shifting stone stirred around within the inner mechanisms of Hogwart's castle walls, fixating Daniel's attention on the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. Two male students ebbed into view wearing blazers and dress pants, eyes aghast at the sight of someone still in robes. "Whoa, uh…Daniel. Yeah, Daniel. You not, uh…you not going to the ball, dude?" Varro inquired, momentarily relaxing on an adjacent couch.

"Nnnn…no. I…I need to study for the…Auror exams…" Daniel coughed, barely tossing Varro a glance as he continued scribbling away.

"We took exams back during the summer, though…did you not take yours?" Sheksly belted, seating a watch firmly in his coat pocket as he bridged their proximity. Varro stood once more, adjusting his coat.

"Not the N.E.W.T.s, I, uh…I have to take other exams to be an Auror." Daniel's monotone timber dragged and pulled on their ears, furling their brows and leaving their mouths agape.

"But, dude…you're a seventh year, yeah?" Varro tilted his head down to gain access to even a modicum of Daniel's eyes.

"Yeah, so?" His writing became more fast and loose by the second.

"So…this is the last time you'll get to do anything here. Like…anything!" Sheksly kneeled down beside Daniel's chair, his voice far more urgent than before.

Daniel exhaled and clenched his quill aggressively, refusing to look either student in the eye. "This is very important, okay? Far more important than a stupid dance…" He sharply turned a page in his book, not at all worried about ripping it.

"But…" Sheksly started, only to have Varro approach him and pull him up by one arm.

"If he wants to stay, we should just let him. Maybe…maybe he was just meant to do this, and only this." Varro held his thumb up toward Daniel, who refused to reciprocate. Quietly, Varro and Sheksly headed toward the exit, with Sheksly snickering and shaking his head all while doing so.

Daniel huffed with head in hand, allowing his quill to rest behind his ear.

I don't know why that bothers me every single time…ever since my first year here, it…it just never ends. I don't even know them and they're so willing to cast judgment as quick as possible; well, Sheksly was.

Carefully, Daniel stacked his notes together and laid them inside his book – placing both of them on the desk in front of him. He then rested his head against the chair for once, sighing deeply.

Whatever. When I'm Auror, this will all be worth it. All the dances I missed out on, the trips to Hogsmeade I didn't attend, refusing to return home during breaks...the top of the top, the best. That's what I'll be. People like Sheksly wouldn't even make it as the Ministry of Magic's janitor, maybe that's…messed up to think about, but…

The Christmas tree's lights continued dancing, stealing his attention – The clock's constant ticking kept the young Ravenclaw in a trance, his eyes jumping from blues to silvers. Every now and then, one of the few homemade ornaments would catch his attention; one in particular of a picture wherein a student could be seen smiling with his family in the background. A huge feast was set on the table and an older gentleman in the back stole a piece of turkey right before the photo was taken.

Guess he seemed rather chuffed about doing that…winking and everything. I guess in his position; he had accomplished enough to the point where…doing something even minor like that didn't matter. Yeah, I guess he just went for it. It's like…he's winking right at me, like…I'm supposed to do this.

"How is the year over already!?"

Hallway fanfare collided with Daniel's daydream, yanking his focus away from the turkey thief.

"Dude, I've no idea. More importantly, I don't know how I passed my exams."

Dolts

"For real! I swear half of that stuff wasn't even in our prep courses – it's like they hate us and want us to stay here forever."

Yes, it was.

"We legit deserve this ball, though. I've been practicing how to dance for like…a month."

Useless.

"Oh, cool. Now Sarah won't laugh at you like last year."

Too good for him, probably.

"She didn't laugh…ok, maybe she did but…not this year!"

…

"This is seriously cool, though. Beat staying at home."

Yeah…

"For real! And the food…"

Yeahhh…

"Oh man…I'm gonna miss just…waking up and knowing chicken will just, like…appear when it's time to eat."

And the biscuits…

"And the girls, and the…I swear the hottest girls go to Hogwarts. Like…certified."

I, uh…

"Definitely don't make em' like Lia anywhere else…"

Lia Gladstone? Wow…she's gorgeous. He…spoke to her?"

"Or Sarah."

…

"But mostly Lia."

How are they…talking to girls?

"Anyway! We should probably go. Not gonna last forever."

…

"True. The hottest girl at Hogwarts is waiting."

…

"Coming Sarah!"

I can't. I just…don't understand how people can forego nervousness that easily…that should be a class at Hogwarts, maybe then I'd understand. Professors. Whatever, they don't even register as people to me – it isn't difficult at all. How can…how can I harness that feeling?

Daniel raced to his trunk, rummaging through a slew of books and notepads.

A spell? A potion? No…I'd have to keep applying it every now and then…that would get tedious…

Slumped against the foot of his bunk, he exhaled once more.

Should I take it that seriously? For all I know, that's what everyone does…maybe they just do it when nobody's looking.

Having stood up, Daniel felt a serene chill creep over him as snow came into view. He morosed toward the window to get a better view, then palming collected frost. Bare branches shivered under the moonlight, caressed by pillows of snow that flickered in and out of sight until meeting with the ground. Polar winds howled amidst the sound of icicles cracking on a nearby ledge where birds chose to seek shelter. Blurred by condensation, motion yanked on Daniel's attention toward the bottom of the window – He wiped the fog away as best he could to reveal two students, one male and the other female.

Wait, are they…?

Their faces converged on one another just before fog resurfaced.

Oh…yep. They're kissing.

Daniel rediscovered the fireplace, collapsing onto the floor to get warmer.

Why…do I feel like this? I was fine earlier. Freaking…Sheksly, man. I can't believe I'm feeling guilty for studying. What if I'm wrong, though?

He tilted his head back until it met softly with the floor, jostling low-hanging branches on the Christmas tree with his foot.

Maybe…maybe I should go. I mean…it wouldn't necessarily be the worst thing in the world, and…it sure would be nice to show up Sheksly. I really did waste a lot of time in here...just reading things that I already read over and over. Even Hermione went to social gatherings and she had top marks…she even broke the rules. It even got to a point where teachers asked me to organize their classrooms because they knew I wasn't going to do anything on the weekends. All that time…wasted.

Daniel jolted to his feet so quickly he stumbled, almost knocking the tree over. Reaching for the mantle, he saw his own widened eyes reflecting off of a small mirror sat next to the clock.

I'm doing it, I'm gonna go to the ball. I'm…gonna do it.