A/N: I didn't like that Hermione and Ron didn't get together till the 7'th book, so I changed it. Yes, I understand that J.K. Rowling was building up their relationship, however, I didn't like that it took them so long, so here is my version of the Yule Ball.
Hermione walked down the stairs towards the Great Hall. She wasn't yet in view of everyone else, so she was left alone with her worries.
Hermione was thrilled to be going to the Yule Ball with someone. However, she wasn't sure she wanted to be going with Victor Krum. Yes, he was a famous Quidditch player. Yes, he was good looking. But had those things really ever mattered to Hermione? No.
See, what her dream date failed to realize, since he had been to busy being spiteful or ignoring her since finding out who she was going to the ball with, was that she liked him. She could remember saying to him; ". . .just because you haven't, doesn't mean nobody else has realized I'm a girl!" He hadn't caught the hidden meaning; she had really wished he'd been the one to notice.
But no. The only reason he'd asked her to the ball was because no one else would go with him. She was a last resort, and that annoyed and hurt her. Victor Krum may not be her ultimate dream date, but he noticed her. He was her date, even if he was no Ronald Weasley.
Ron was already at the ball with Padma. He knew he wasn't being very nice to his date, but he was focused on Hermione.
She was saying that she had a date. But how could she? She had to be lying.
If Ronald had been honest with himself, he might have admitted that he was upset that she wasn't waiting patiently for him to ask her to the dance, because of course, if he'd been honest with himself, he would've known that Hermione didn't lie about stuff like that. She just didn't. He was even more honest, he would have realized he was being extremely unfair to her. If he'd been as honest with himself as he could possibly be, he would have realized that the main reason he was mad at her was because he didn't want to be mad at the person who was really to blame; himself.
Hermione forced herself to take a deep breath. She was going to enjoy herself. She wasn't going to wait for Ronald to realize he had a perfectly decent potential date for the ball right in front of him. She had waited, and she was sick of it. She stepped down the stair case carefully, towards the crowd.
Harry turned at Parvati's, "She's beautiful!" , and saw Hermione nervously coming down the staircase in a pink dress which looked rather spectacular on her.
Harry was surprised to see Victor Krum come up to Hermione and take her arm. As she passed Parvati and him, she waved with a smile.
As Hermione and Krum passed Padma and Ron, Padma asked(and Ron thought this was a stupid question), "Is that Hermione Granger with Victor Krum?!"
She was going to the ball with Harry's competition! It was unloyal.
"No, it's just your imagination." He was being rather spiteful, but, as he was angry, he didn't really care.
As Harry and Parvati finished(yet weren't quite done with) the first dance, Harry noticed that Ginny had gone with Neville to the Yule Ball. Deep inside he felt a twinge. He spun Parvatiaround. He saw Neville smile awkwardly at Ginny. Another twinge. What was the matter with him? He spun and stepped, barely acknowledging that he had for once gotten the steps right. On the third twinge(a reaction to Ginny smiling back (Also Awkwardly)), he realized that the small tug was of jealousy.
So far Hermione wasn't having a horrible time, but she had to admit, she wished that it was Ron, not Victor, that she was dancing with. Although, she had to admit, Krum was a good dancer. She could see Harry wasn't really that bothered by the fact she had come to the ball with Victor Krum. She hadn't caught Ron's eye yet, so if he cared, she didn't know. Ginny, however, she had talked to. She loved Hermione's dress, and thought it was cool she was going with Krum.
Ron seethed as he saw the pair he was so focused on, apparently having an excellent time.
Padma sighed and looked over at her date. He was staring at Hermione Granger and her date. 'Victor Krum would be a much better date', she thought. 'Hermione is so lucky.'
The only reason she had done this was so Parvati could go the dance with Harry. She didn't seem to be enjoying it much, which was odd considering Harry was her second favorite guy in their year.
When Harry, Hermione and Ron got a chance to talk alone(Padma and Parvati were talking nearby, and Victor was getting him and Hermione drinks), Ron immediately was very rude to Hermione. "How's Victor? I can't believe you came with him!"
"What is your problem, Ron?"
"You're fraternizing with the enemy!"
" 'The enemy', this is about making friends!"
"I think he's got a bit more than friends on his mind," Ron said darkly.
Hermione stormed off furious towards Victor, Ron stayed sitting, and was furious, and Harry just looked sorry that he was caught in the middle.
Ginny glanced over at Harry. She had had a crush on him in her first year. She blushed furiously every time she saw him. Now at least she'd gotten over that. But she couldn't help it, she still liked him. She could clearly see that Parvati wasn't having the time of her life, like Ginny would be if she were in Parvati's shoes. Which actually were very nice. . . . Ginny shook her head. She really wanted to dance with Harry, but she would feel to bad for Neville. Plus, she didn't want to chase after Harry.
Dumbledore was chatting lightly with McGonnagal, when, out of the blue, she told him that it was very different then her school dances when she was a child at Hogwarts.
"What do you mean, Minerva?"
"We always changed partners, especially at school functions when there were guests to mingle and socialize with!"
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. He said nothing directly to her, but instead chose to speak to the crowd of dancing students.
"Perhaps some change is in order. I propose that two couples pair up, and switch partners for the following three dances."
At this, Ginny's face brightened. "Come on, Neville!
She seized his arm and pulled him to where Harry and Parvati were awkwardly staring around after Dumbledore's request.
Harry sighed with relief. He grinned at Ginny, and the pair began to dance.
Padma decided to put Ron out of his misery. She dragged him to where Hermione and Krum were dancing, still waiting for another couple to pick them to switch partners with. Padma figure, if she was going to play nice and do the right thing, why not get a really cute looking dance partner while you're at it? Besides, Ravenclaws were bookish, not blind. He was very good looking, very famous, and everyone's eyes would be on her, showing their envy. Padma grinned inwardly. Victor bowed to Padma. "May I have this dance?"
"Yes," she said quickly, eager to give her date and Hermione some space before the Ron exploded.
Parvati and Neville were left alone after Ginny and Harry went off to dance. Parvati smiled at Neville. This wasn't going to be that bad. She'd always liked him. If you looked beyond the clumsiness, and the incredibly strange magnetism for pixies. . . he wasn't so bad. You had to look at who he was, and that's a pretty nice guy.
Encouraged by the smile, Neville transfigured a napkin on the table nearby into a rose. Parvati took it smiling happily at Neville.
Ron and Hermione were also left alone.
He shuffled his feet.
She blew a loose piece of hair out of her face.
He wasn't being hostile, maybe this could be okay. "Ron," he looked up, "would you like to dance?"
Ron sneered. "And be compared to Krum? No thanks!"
"Victor's not that bad, and I'm not going to compare!"
"Victor? He hasn't asked you to call him Vicky yet?"
Hermione rose to her full height and said in her best dignified and reprimanding voice, "Ronald, you are being as nasty as Snape, and as pigheaded as Crabbe and Goyle! Are you going to dance or not?!"
"Not bloody likely!"
"For Merlin's sake Ronald!" Ginny and Harry had been conveniently nearby (!cough!) Eavesdropping (!cough!), and couldn't help but overhear. "Stop with the wand-stuck-up-your-backside routine and ask Hermione to dance!?"
"Honestly, Ron," agreed Harry.
"Mind your own business!"
Ginny saw that Harry was about to say something else, and tapped his shoulder. "If Ronald isn't going to listen, then we might as well go, Harry."
"Yeah-yeah you're right."
Once out of earshot, Ginny added, "Don't worry Harry, he'll ask her now, he just wanted us out of the way. Doesn't like to admit when he's wrong. You'll see."
But back with Hermione and Ron, it appeared Ginny was wrong.
Ron was fuming and giving Hermione his nastiest look, usually reserved for Malfoy, Snape, and Percy's lectures on cauldrons.
"Ron, I think there is a lesson in all this."
"What," Ron spat out. He was so disinterested, it wasn't even a question when he said 'what'.
"Maybe, next time, and this is for future reference, you should just ask me first, and not as a last result!"
"Yeah?" Ron asked, not even looking at her.
"Yes." Hermione looked as if she was debating on whether or not to say something else. "And Ron?"
"Yes, Hermione?" He wasn't mean about this question; the timid note in her voice required to much curiosity to leave any room for that.
"For the record. . ." Hermione trailed off.
"Yeah?" Ron said, prompting softly.
"Yes?" said Ginny and Harry who, unbeknowngst to Hermione and Ron, were eavesdropping again.
Hermione cleared her throat, and said in a slightly louder voice, "I would've said 'yes' if you'd asked me."
"Yeah?" Ron dared to hope, a half smile coming through.
"Yeah." Hermione smiled back.
It was the final of the three dances in which people were required to switch partners, and the last dance of the evening.
A song began to play, soft and melodic, neither the waltz that had played for the majority of the evening, or the more upbeat songs that the Weird Sisters had sneaked into the ball when teachers were busy.
Ron, determined to make some good of the night, turned to Hermione.
"May I have this dance?"
"Yeah."
So, they danced. It was one of those slow dances, where in the muggle world, you don't really dance so much as just sway slowly to the beat of the music while turning in a circle.
Harry and Ginny watched. Ginny said "I told you so."
"Shh!" Harry said, and they danced, smiling at eachother.
Hermione and Ron just danced.
A/N:I realize that Neville(with the conjuring of the rose thing) was a bit more talented than Neville's character was shown as until the 7'th book, however, I think that if he had the right boost of confidence, he could have much earlier, like in the D.A. in book 5. Review!