Author's Note: Hi! This is my first attempt at a fanfiction. I actually don't know where this story is going yet... But we'll see! I hope you enjoy this story!
Disclaimer: All the characters and themes belong to the queen, J.K. Rowling! Only the plot of this story is mine!
Chapter One: Icing Sugar
Snow was beginning to fall, thinly covering the Hogwarts Castle like icing sugar on a cake. Leaves on trees had been replaced with small, brittle icicles and the green grass from the Quidditch pitch was no longer seen. Students walked from class to class huddled in thick jackets and scarves, breathing out white clouds of steam. Many Hogwarts students were now befriending the visiting students from Durmstrang and Beauxbaton, many girls seen to be linking arms with the beautiful French students from Beauxbaton and others, striding alongside the pupils from Durmstrang, making small talk – Quidditch being the most common amongst the many topics.
Harry, Ron and Hermione, however, kept to themselves and their Hogwarts schoolmates with whom they were familiar with, but all the same acted as generous hosts towards the visiting guests. Harry, being the known for his title as 'The Boy Who Lived' and now, as the fourth competitor in the Triwizard Tournament, earned many strange and judgemental looks and whispers and few admiring glances from the Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students.
The Yule Ball was to be held in less than 20 days, and neither Ron nor Harry had found partners to accompany them to this traditional event. Hermione insisted more than once that she would not be attending, due to the many assignments she had to complete; neither of the two boys had pressed on after trying to convince her to go. The subject was rarely brought up, although more and more students were now seen walking with their companions.
Seventeen days before the Yule Ball was to be held, Harry walked into the Gryffindor common room looking pleased, and slightly embarrassed. He settled into an armchair by the window where Hermione was working on her Herbology essay.
'Where's Ron?' Harry asked.
'Um… I think he's got detention with Snape for dropping the Porcupine Quills in lesson yesterday. Where've you been? It's almost nine, and we finished dinner at eight,' Hermione asked suspiciously.
'Nowhere. I'm going to take a shower,' he replied, blushing slightly as he pushed himself up from the armchair and heading towards his dormitory. As Harry disappeared round the staircase, Ron burst into the common room.
'Where's Harry?' Ron asked, slumping into the chair that Harry had just occupied.
'For a shower,' Hermione answered without looking up from her essay. 'What did Snape make you do this time?'
'He made me re-label all of the ingredient jars by hand,' Ron complained. 'I swear there were at least a thousand!' Hermione fished around in her bag as Ron continued to complain. 'And that stupid git made me miss dinner! By the time I got into the hall, everyone was gone! Even the tables!'
Hermione placed a box on the table in front of Ron.
'Oh, thanks Hermione, you're the best,' Ron said, opening the lid of the box, as the wonderful aroma of chicken, gravy and pasta wafted into the air.
'Harry looked funny when he walked in, did he tell you what he was up to?'
'No,' Ron mumbled with a mouthful of chicken. 'I'm going to finish this upstairs and see what Harry's up to.'
Pushing Harry by the back, Ron and Harry appeared in the common room once more.
'Okay… I have something to tell you guys,' Harry confessed. Hermione and Ron looked at him with wide eyes. 'IaskedsomeonetotheYuleBall,' he rushed out.
'You what?' Hermione asked. 'All I heard was Yule Ball…'
He cleared his throat, repeating once more. 'I asked someone to the Yule Ball. And they said yes.' His eyes flicking nervously between his two best friends.
Ron looked disappointed and slightly betrayed. Hermione looked surprised. 'Who is it?' She asked.
He hesitated.
'Go on! Tell us who the lucky girl is! To go to the Yule Ball with Harry Potter!'
'Ginny…' He mumbled quietly. But that was loud enough for Ron to hear.
'You asked my sister! My sister – Ginny Weasley!' Ron repeated, as if it were a joke.
'That's wonderful!' Hermione exclaimed. 'I mean, we all know she's got a crush on you… Ron calm down! They're only going to attend the ball! You're only jealous because you haven't got the bloody courage to ask someone to go with you!' With that, Ron settled back into his chair, looking redder than the Durmstrang cloak. 'I don't mean it that way, Ronald. But if you want to go with someone who looks relatively attractive, you'll have to ask someone soon! I know! Why don't you ask Luna? Luna's very nice and she's quite pretty too.'
'Loony Lovegood? Loony Lovegood? Are you kidding me?'
'Are you talking about Luna?' Ginny asked, as she approached the table of three. 'Oh, hi Harry,' she said, her cheeks tinting. 'Who's asking Luna?'
'Your brother is. You don't by any chance know if Luna's got a date to the Yule Ball, do you?' Harry piped up.
'No, she hasn't. I'm sure she'll be more than happy to go with you, Ron.' Ginny replied. 'I'll ask her for you tomorrow in Potions, alright? Don't worry, she's very nice. Just a bit peculiar.'
'There, all sorted. I'm going off to sleep. Goodnight.' Hermione said, leaving the two boys.
'Draco,' Pansy Parkinson's whiny voice brought Draco Malfoy from his thoughts back to the Slytherin common room. 'Look at this corsage, Draco. Look!' She said, shoving a Witches Weekly catalogue into his face. 'Don't you think it looks amazing? My dress is going to be red, it'll fit so well!' She squealed.
'Very nice,' he murmured half-heartedly. 'I'm going to bed, Pansy. Goodnight.' Draco got up from the plush sofa he was sitting on, heading towards the boys' staircase.
'But Draco..!' Pansy trailed off as he leaped up the staircase, taking the steps three at a time. Pushing open the door to him room, he changed and got into his bed. Draco's mind had been wondering lately. Even with the attractive French girls around him, he hadn't been paying much attention, his thoughts drifting from time to time.
Salazar was that girl whiny, Draco thought to himself. Pansy Parkinson had a pug-like face but the body of a goddess. She trailed after him like a clingy, annoying fan-girl with a voice that was too high for her own good. And lately, she had been pointing out corsages and dresses and shoes and whatnot every so often to Draco, shoving magazines in his face. She's expecting you to take her to the Yule Ball, he told himself. But Draco was not seeking a girl like Pansy. She was not the brightest, and could not have a verbal sparring contest every so often. All she did was agree with him. More often than not, Draco wished that she would have a mind of her own. But on the other hand, she was the appropriate girl for Draco to be seen with. He came from a wealthy, well-known pureblood family, as did she, and their families had a good relationship, his mother and hers had often planned family vacations during the summer holidays, forcing him to spend more time with her. But what Draco pursued, was a girl with the mind of an aristocrat, not the family background – though his father and he would never approve or choose a girl with a dirty blood status.
He did not want to attend the Yule Ball with Pansy, neither did he want a girl from Beauxbaton – though they were beautiful, many of them were rumoured to be part Veela. He couldn't go with a girl from Gryffindor – never! And Hufflepuffs were a bore. Ravenclaw and Slytherin were the two houses he was left with, and as he made a list of the girls he could go to the ball with, Draco Malfoy drifted off to sleep.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading my first chapter! How'd I do..? Critical comments are accepted and appreciated, but please try to be nice! It's only my first fanfic! Please review! I'll see if I should continue with the story! :)