He came in for a kiss. She was playing hard to get and wasn't going to let him win that easily. She turned her cheek.
"Why do you do that?" He asked with an air of suspicion.
"Because I like to make you work for it." She said back with a little sass.
The silence was broken by a loud thundering. Both looked up. The clouds rolled into each other and droplets of rain began to pound on their faces. He looked at her, his black, sloppy hair whipping his face.
"Don't look at me like that." She laughed as she turned her head.
"Meaghan..."
She did a half turn and he went for it. He could hear the crowd, Ron being one of them, cheering him on as he put his hands through her hair and kissed her as gently as he knew how. He couldn't believe what he was doing. All those nights wondering whether she liked him or not were staring him in the face. She pulled back and he opened his eyes. His eyes widened to the brim of what seemed like the earth. What he saw was outlandish and impossible! Could this be Hermione? Or is my mind playing tricks on me?
He awoke with sweat dripping down his face. He touched his scar and opened his eyes to see Meaghan's almond shaped eyes staring down at him while her blonde hair swept silently forward. It was just a dream. He was back in his four-poster, right now safe from his dream.
"Are you okay?" She asked pushing his hair from his eyes.
"Yeah..." He began "but, how did you get in here? You're not a Gryffindor." He trailed off as a searing pain roared through his head.
"Lie back down and drink this." She said lying him down and putting a golden goblet up to his lips. Purple steam seemed to be billowing from inside the goblet. The liquid was ice cold as it touched his lips and sent a burning sensation up his spine. For a moment he lay there, painless, motionless, staring into Meaghan's chestnut eyes and for a brief second he felt his heart warm as it never had before. The last thing he could remember seeing was her, and that's all he wanted to see. To get the image of Hermione out of his mind...
"Did you give it to him?" Hermione started.
"Yes, but...." Meaghan trailed off.
"Trust me." Hermione reassured her.
"He's not going to ask me, Hermione! He doesn't like me, so just don't push it." She said turning to walk away.
"No! Now you listen to me Meaghan! If he hasn't asked you by 9:00 tonight, then you ask him. I mean it. The potion will make him tell the absolute truth, so you'll know if he wants to go and if he likes you, and I'll be doing nothing tonight so if you need any help, you know how to reach me." Hermione said pointing her finger and tapping her feet to a beat only she could hear.
"Well," She said straightening her robes "I have to get back to the Library, so good luck." And with that Hermione turned on her heel and was off.
The next night Ron and Harry sat slumped in the cushy armchairs of the Gryffindor commonroom. The fire ablaze, and Harry's eyes drooping from the laziness of the room, they saw Hermione and Krum enter. She was on Krum's arm with a big smile stretched across her face. Ron looked over in her direction, but Harry decided it was better that he keep minimal eye contact with her. His dream was still nagging him. He liked Meaghan. Didn't he? There was no way he liked Hermione, but it was better not to look her straight in the eye.
"Well, what are you two supposed to be?" She started sarcastically.
"What he is doing here?" Ron snapped back.
"I vos visiting Herm-own-ninny and she asked me to go to the Halloween Ball vith her." Krum politely said back.
"Well Harry, Meaghan told me to tell you that she will meet you downstairs in the entrance hall. So, I told her that I would make sure that you don't look like a complete nutter before she sees you. Now, what are you supposed to be?" She said pointing at both Ron and Harry. But, before they could speak, she whipped out her wand, pointed it at Harry and yelled
"Harrius Owlerus Hedwigie."
At once he turned into a large, snowy owl. His arms and hands seemed to be growing into large crystal white wings, His legs and feet into pencil thin legs with large talons at the ends, his nose into a pointing yellow beak, and his face began to sprout feathers.
"Hermione! You turned me into Hedwig!" He yelled at her while standing up and examining his body.
"Oh, come of it! It'll wear off by the end of the dance! Plus. You look... nice" She said taking a feather off her shoulder.
"Now for you, Ron."
He had a chance to speak but didn't, seeing as nothing could be any worse than going to a dance with Millicent Bullstrode, a bulldozer of a girl associated with Malfoy's gang. Hermione pointed her wand at him while these words rolled off her tongue:
"Ronnie Ratacious Scabberinie!"
With those words, Ron instaneoulsy grew a long pointy tail, gray hair began to appear all over his body, and white whiskers and a pink nose finished the job. By now, both Harry and Ron's robes were torn on every seam and lay on the floor beneath their feet.
"Well, I think that'll do." Hermione said slipping her wand up her sleeve and while Krum lightly chuckled.
"Oh ha ha," Ron started "what are you two supposed to be? A bird and its executioner?"
Hermione stomped her foot and put her hands on her hips. Harry turned away as his dream began slowly to creep back in his mind.
"For your information, Ronald Weasley, I am a beautiful peacock and he is my prince." She finished.
"That doesn't make any sense." Ron laughed back as his whiskers twitched a bit.
"I don't care what you think, " She snapped "come on Viktor, we have better things to do. Harry don't forget about Meaghan."
She was gone. There, that wasn't so hard. Okay, time to go.
Ten minutes later Ron and Harry were waddling down the marble staircase, still trying to get used to their new legs and feet. Every time Harry took another step there seemed to be a great scrapping noise against the floor. Harry finally got sick of the noise and when he put his feet down, he lifted his talons.
He saw her turned around talking to somebody. Ron pushed Harry forward as he turned to make a dash for it. He ran into her as she turned to face him. His mouth wouldn't move. Somehow, somebody had glued it shut. Talk to her! Say something! NOW!
"Uh...uh..uh..ga..ga.ga.ga...dance?" he managed to breathe.
Ron stepped up beside Harry, deciding to save his skin.
"You look nice, Meaghan."
Say Something!!! Come on!
"Yeah, you look really pretty." Harry said looking her up and down, wondering why she would want to go to the dance with an oversized owl.
"Thank you. Hermione and I stayed up all night watching different muggle movies to decide what character I should be. I finally chose Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. Do you like?" Meaghan asked twirling so he could see her from every angle.
Harry nodded his head yes. But, lurking in the back of his mind was his dream. He knew he liked Meaghan in a way that he would never like Hermione. Plus, she's got Krum. But, what did the dream mean, then?
Ron was looking around furiously, ducking at any sight of a Slytherin. He was obviously trying to avoid finding Millicent.
"Who's your date, Ron?" Meaghan asked breaking the tensed silence. She looked at Harry. He quickly looked away.
"Millicent Bullstrode. I lost a bet with Fred and George." Ron finished still looking around.
"Oh. Do you guys wanna go into The Great Hall now?" Meaghan asked.
"Yeah, why not ?" Harry replied as he took in a breath of fresh air.
The Weird Sisters were actually pretty good tonight. Everyone except Ron, hidden under their table, Harry, and Meaghan. She looked around the dance floor for Hermione. Their eyes met and stared one another for quite some time. Ron was absorbed in his findings under the table. Harry was staring blankly up into the purply-blue ceiling.
"Voldemort's back." Meaghan said out of nowhere.
They both stopped what they were doing and looked at her, both their mouths agape.
"Thought that would get your attention." She said smiling to herself and winking to Hermione.
"Why do you do that?" He asked with an air of suspicion.
"Because I like to make you work for it." She said back with a little sass.
The silence was broken by a loud thundering. Both looked up. The clouds rolled into each other and droplets of rain began to pound on their faces. He looked at her, his black, sloppy hair whipping his face.
"Don't look at me like that." She laughed as she turned her head.
"Meaghan..."
She did a half turn and he went for it. He could hear the crowd, Ron being one of them, cheering him on as he put his hands through her hair and kissed her as gently as he knew how. He couldn't believe what he was doing. All those nights wondering whether she liked him or not were staring him in the face. She pulled back and he opened his eyes. His eyes widened to the brim of what seemed like the earth. What he saw was outlandish and impossible! Could this be Hermione? Or is my mind playing tricks on me?
He awoke with sweat dripping down his face. He touched his scar and opened his eyes to see Meaghan's almond shaped eyes staring down at him while her blonde hair swept silently forward. It was just a dream. He was back in his four-poster, right now safe from his dream.
"Are you okay?" She asked pushing his hair from his eyes.
"Yeah..." He began "but, how did you get in here? You're not a Gryffindor." He trailed off as a searing pain roared through his head.
"Lie back down and drink this." She said lying him down and putting a golden goblet up to his lips. Purple steam seemed to be billowing from inside the goblet. The liquid was ice cold as it touched his lips and sent a burning sensation up his spine. For a moment he lay there, painless, motionless, staring into Meaghan's chestnut eyes and for a brief second he felt his heart warm as it never had before. The last thing he could remember seeing was her, and that's all he wanted to see. To get the image of Hermione out of his mind...
"Did you give it to him?" Hermione started.
"Yes, but...." Meaghan trailed off.
"Trust me." Hermione reassured her.
"He's not going to ask me, Hermione! He doesn't like me, so just don't push it." She said turning to walk away.
"No! Now you listen to me Meaghan! If he hasn't asked you by 9:00 tonight, then you ask him. I mean it. The potion will make him tell the absolute truth, so you'll know if he wants to go and if he likes you, and I'll be doing nothing tonight so if you need any help, you know how to reach me." Hermione said pointing her finger and tapping her feet to a beat only she could hear.
"Well," She said straightening her robes "I have to get back to the Library, so good luck." And with that Hermione turned on her heel and was off.
The next night Ron and Harry sat slumped in the cushy armchairs of the Gryffindor commonroom. The fire ablaze, and Harry's eyes drooping from the laziness of the room, they saw Hermione and Krum enter. She was on Krum's arm with a big smile stretched across her face. Ron looked over in her direction, but Harry decided it was better that he keep minimal eye contact with her. His dream was still nagging him. He liked Meaghan. Didn't he? There was no way he liked Hermione, but it was better not to look her straight in the eye.
"Well, what are you two supposed to be?" She started sarcastically.
"What he is doing here?" Ron snapped back.
"I vos visiting Herm-own-ninny and she asked me to go to the Halloween Ball vith her." Krum politely said back.
"Well Harry, Meaghan told me to tell you that she will meet you downstairs in the entrance hall. So, I told her that I would make sure that you don't look like a complete nutter before she sees you. Now, what are you supposed to be?" She said pointing at both Ron and Harry. But, before they could speak, she whipped out her wand, pointed it at Harry and yelled
"Harrius Owlerus Hedwigie."
At once he turned into a large, snowy owl. His arms and hands seemed to be growing into large crystal white wings, His legs and feet into pencil thin legs with large talons at the ends, his nose into a pointing yellow beak, and his face began to sprout feathers.
"Hermione! You turned me into Hedwig!" He yelled at her while standing up and examining his body.
"Oh, come of it! It'll wear off by the end of the dance! Plus. You look... nice" She said taking a feather off her shoulder.
"Now for you, Ron."
He had a chance to speak but didn't, seeing as nothing could be any worse than going to a dance with Millicent Bullstrode, a bulldozer of a girl associated with Malfoy's gang. Hermione pointed her wand at him while these words rolled off her tongue:
"Ronnie Ratacious Scabberinie!"
With those words, Ron instaneoulsy grew a long pointy tail, gray hair began to appear all over his body, and white whiskers and a pink nose finished the job. By now, both Harry and Ron's robes were torn on every seam and lay on the floor beneath their feet.
"Well, I think that'll do." Hermione said slipping her wand up her sleeve and while Krum lightly chuckled.
"Oh ha ha," Ron started "what are you two supposed to be? A bird and its executioner?"
Hermione stomped her foot and put her hands on her hips. Harry turned away as his dream began slowly to creep back in his mind.
"For your information, Ronald Weasley, I am a beautiful peacock and he is my prince." She finished.
"That doesn't make any sense." Ron laughed back as his whiskers twitched a bit.
"I don't care what you think, " She snapped "come on Viktor, we have better things to do. Harry don't forget about Meaghan."
She was gone. There, that wasn't so hard. Okay, time to go.
Ten minutes later Ron and Harry were waddling down the marble staircase, still trying to get used to their new legs and feet. Every time Harry took another step there seemed to be a great scrapping noise against the floor. Harry finally got sick of the noise and when he put his feet down, he lifted his talons.
He saw her turned around talking to somebody. Ron pushed Harry forward as he turned to make a dash for it. He ran into her as she turned to face him. His mouth wouldn't move. Somehow, somebody had glued it shut. Talk to her! Say something! NOW!
"Uh...uh..uh..ga..ga.ga.ga...dance?" he managed to breathe.
Ron stepped up beside Harry, deciding to save his skin.
"You look nice, Meaghan."
Say Something!!! Come on!
"Yeah, you look really pretty." Harry said looking her up and down, wondering why she would want to go to the dance with an oversized owl.
"Thank you. Hermione and I stayed up all night watching different muggle movies to decide what character I should be. I finally chose Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. Do you like?" Meaghan asked twirling so he could see her from every angle.
Harry nodded his head yes. But, lurking in the back of his mind was his dream. He knew he liked Meaghan in a way that he would never like Hermione. Plus, she's got Krum. But, what did the dream mean, then?
Ron was looking around furiously, ducking at any sight of a Slytherin. He was obviously trying to avoid finding Millicent.
"Who's your date, Ron?" Meaghan asked breaking the tensed silence. She looked at Harry. He quickly looked away.
"Millicent Bullstrode. I lost a bet with Fred and George." Ron finished still looking around.
"Oh. Do you guys wanna go into The Great Hall now?" Meaghan asked.
"Yeah, why not ?" Harry replied as he took in a breath of fresh air.
The Weird Sisters were actually pretty good tonight. Everyone except Ron, hidden under their table, Harry, and Meaghan. She looked around the dance floor for Hermione. Their eyes met and stared one another for quite some time. Ron was absorbed in his findings under the table. Harry was staring blankly up into the purply-blue ceiling.
"Voldemort's back." Meaghan said out of nowhere.
They both stopped what they were doing and looked at her, both their mouths agape.
"Thought that would get your attention." She said smiling to herself and winking to Hermione.