Hi there! I know I haven't written in a while, I've just been really busy and really procrastinating. I'm thinking of going pro. Anyway, I'm trying out the new generation of Potter peeps. Lemme know what you think so far!

There was only one other ball to commence at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry after the Yule Ball of 1994, which had come with the territory of the Triwizard Tournament, and was therefore, much to the dismay of the students, mandatory. This ball was announced quite suddenly by the Headmistress of the school, former Transfiguration teacher Professor Minerva McGonagall, some thirty years later at the start of dinner one evening.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please," she started, clearing her throat as an additional measure to quiet the students as she rose from her seat. She commanded the attention of a room, even the vast Great Hall populated with nearly the entire school, quite well, and the students ceased conversation as her gaze fell upon them, seemingly, one face at a time until they were all scrutinized. She continued, the need to raise her voice lost among the blanket of silence that seemed to fall over the area.

"There will be a formal ball taking place at Hogwarts on the second of May, to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the legendary battle that, as we all well know, brought Lord Voldemort to his demise by an alumnus of our school, Harry Potter." She glanced slowly around the Great Hall, noticing a few looks of admiration being exchanged at the Gryffindor table - some thrown towards Lily and Albus Potter - while others at the Slytherin table looked positively bored. Ignoring this, she continued. "The ball will require you to wear your dress robes," - a few people grumbled in response - "and will begin at seven o'clock in the evening. I expect your full and complete cooperation at this ball. And please, attempt to not look so glum," she added, a bit of a twinkle in her eye not unlike the one that used to frequently occupy itself behind the previous Headmaster's spectacles. "There will be some surprises in store for you all that I'm sure you will find. . ." She paused, searching for a word that would correctly express her thoughts. "Interesting." Most students exchanged significant looks - some worried, most excited - and McGonagall smiled. "Now, off to bed with you!"

There was a large commotion as nearly all the students got up and made their way back to their dormitories, animated chatter filling the air. Rose Weasley, a seventh year, and her younger cousin Lily lagged behind purposelessly.

"I wonder what the surprise is?" Rose asked, stealing a backwards glance at her headmistress, who was talking quietly with the man who taught Herbology, Professor Longbottom.

"Maybe a cool band is coming, like The Weird Sisters!" Lily exclaimed excitedly.

"Lil, you know The Weird Sisters have broken up," Rose replied, sending a look to her cousin. "Maybe they'll get Celine Dion, that wonderful Canadian singer that mom always plays. . . ."

Lily laughed. "Rose, Celine Dion's a muggle singer. If The Weird Sisters can't come, there's no way they'd bring her to Hogwarts! She can't even see the place!"

"Hey, I can dream, can't I?" Rose said with a smile.

"Sure, and I can dream about The Weird Sisters getting back together."

Rose grinned and pushed her hair out of her face as they made their way out of the Great Hall. She was a relatively tall girl, inheriting her father's genes that distinguished his family from most others - wavy red hair that made its way past her shoulders. Rose had her mother's wit, a fact not lost on the family since barely after her birth, and was one of the top in her year, along with being Head Girl. Although her tongue was sharp, her eyes were the windows to her soul; all her emotions could be revealed by a look into her eyes, a trait that was no doubt passed down from her loving grandmother.

"What's the password?" asked Lily as their feet had finally steered them to the portrait of the Fat Lady, more familiarly known as the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.

"Coexist," said Rose.

"Precisely." And the portrait swung open to reveal a swarm of red, gold, and black cluttering the common room, talking animatedly amongst each other.

"Did you hear what she said?"

"Surprises - but what does that mean?"

"Are we going to have to learn a dance?"

"What if there are dragons coming!?"

"Justin, don't be a prat, dragons are dangerous. Interesting, maybe to a bloke like Hagrid, but they definitely wouldn't bring them to a ball."

"Rose!" She suddenly felt someone grasp her arm and pull her into the midst of the crowd. "Did she tell you anything about this ball? What do you know?"

Rose laughed, glancing around at the excited expressions on the faces of those people immediately around her. "Why do you think I would know better than you?"

"Well, we figured-"

"-you're Head Girl-"

"Albus said you might know!"

And sure enough, the boy with jet black hair and brilliant green eyes, the boy that incredibly resembled his father, was lurking feet away from where his cousin Rose stood, looking sheepish, apparently taken aback by the fact that his name was dragged into the conversation. But this façade didn't faze her - she knew her cousin all too well. At her glance, he ran his hand through his hair and grinned imperiously at her: his goal of annoying her vicariously through his classmates had been achieved. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the inquisitive individuals around her.

"I know nothing more than you do, trust me."

A couple people looked slightly crestfallen at the news, but Rose just smiled apologetically at them before making her way up to the girls' dormitories, Lily following in her wake.

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