Catching Snitches
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All recognisable characters, content, or locations belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Chapter Six:
At first, Haden tells no one but her Aunt Andromeda. It's her little secret, and although she's positively giddy, she also likes having something that no one else knows about. Her Aunt Andromeda is informed because the woman is the closest thing Haden will ever have to a mother, but eventually, the excitement is too much, and thus, she informs Angelina, Alicia, and Katie.
"I have a date for the Yule Ball."
Angelina, who is part way through a strawberry liquorice wand, stops mid-chew, turns, and stares for a beat. Alicia, likewise, freezes in place by her locker, and Katie, in the jacuzzi, arches an artfully sculpted eyebrow.
There's a beat of silence, and then…
"Who?"
"When?"
"Why the hell are we only finding out now?"
Haden, as she settles in the jacuzzi across from Katie, gnaws at her bottom lip, contemplates her answers, and then proceeds to tell-all. She can't help herself.
"Well, I guess I'm not surprised," Katie concedes, when the telling is done, "He's very taken with you."
"That's one way of putting it," Angelina says, and her tone is implication enough. Haden flicks water in her face.
"Have you organised your outfits yet? Will you match? Will he get you a corsage? Where will you meet him? Does he know how to dance? Do you know how to dance?"
Alicia seems almost as excited as Haden herself, and it's easy to get swept up in her storm. They chat for hours, and by the time they return to the castle, it's dark, the temperature has dropped, and dinner is well underway. The chasers have agreed to keep mum about Viktor, and Haden makes a mental note to speak privately with Katie at a later date, but until then, she delves into dinner with little fanfare, joins the din of Gryffindors with faultless ease, and enjoys the company of good food and better friends.
"What are you doing after dinner?" Lavender enquires.
"I might head to the library," Haden answers, "I have some homework to do."
Lavender blows a raspberry, displeased by Haden's answer. She doesn't protest, however, and instead turns to matters regarding the Yule Ball. The announcement is all anyone has been able to talk about for over a week, and her dorm mates, naturally, are no exception.
"Professor McGonagall's running a few dance classes," she says, "I'm thinking I might go."
Haden is nonplused. "But you already know how to dance."
"Yeah," Lavender agrees, "But it wouldn't hurt to touch up my skills, right?"
Haden nods her acknowledgement, though she's openly skeptical. Lavender, like Haden, had spent her early years being groomed to be the perfect pureblood heiress. The blonde comes from an extraordinarily successful merchant family that can date back their lineage to the early 1600's. It means that, although not of noble birth, her family has spent generations rubbing elbows with many of magical Britain's aristocracy. She's been groomed accordingly.
With that said, Haden doesn't argue the point. She likes to think that she adheres to a 'live and let live' policy, and although there are exceptions, she can't begrudge her friend the desire to practice skills that, since their matriculation at Hogwarts School, have been accordingly sidelined.
"If you want, Lav," Haden acknowledges, "Did you want me to go with you?"
"You don't have to," Lavender avers, "I'm sure there'll be someone I can hang out with."
"I'm going," Parvati contributes, "I'm not particularly familiar with ballroom dancing. Mostly belly dancing."
"That'd be so cool," Fay says, "Could you teach me, Parvati?"
Hermione arrives, drops heavily into a seat beside Haden, and serves herself a plate of food. She joins the conversation with word that she's been trained in classical ballet, and admits that she's missed it during her years at Hogwarts. The school has no dance club, but she practices in the summer, and on the weekends, and she determines that it's better than nothing.
"Will you go to Professor McGonagall's dance class?" Parvati asks.
Hermione nods. "I just want to make sure there aren't any differences between muggle and magical ballroom dances. I don't want to make a fool of myself at the Yule Ball."
"I guess that's reasonable," Parvati concedes.
The rest of dinner passes uneventfully, and afterwards, Haden retreats to the library. She settles at her usual desk, withdraws her homework for her sixth year Charms class, and settles in to complete the essay she's been assigned.
It's there she's approach by Draco Malfoy. He's a boy in her year, 14 years old, and far more arrogant than he has any right to be. A Slytherin, he rides on his fathers coattails, he has no accomplishment to call his own, and Haden can't remember ever sharing a civil conversation with him.
There have always been other - far more interesting - individuals to capture her attention.
"Mr Malfoy," Haden greets cordially, "What may I do for you?"
"I want you to attend the Yule Ball with me."
"I apologise. I already have a date."
Haden doesn't wait to see how he'll respond. Instead, she gathers up her things, retreats from the library, and makes her way towards Gryffindor Tower. She's glad that she's not had to lie, but she wonders, also, why the Slytherin desires to have her on his arm.
Perhaps she'll never find out.
In her dormitory, she returns to her homework, and around her, the others prepare for bed.
Lavender sits at her vanity and combs a silver-handled brush through her golden tresses. Parvati is in the adjoining bathroom, where she stands at the sink to exfoliate her skin. Fay is already asleep, sprawled out across her bed, her face in her Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook, and alternatively, Hermione is wide awake, absorbed in her copy of 'Hogwarts, A History'.
It's a familiar routine, but idly, Haden wonders what it would be like in Katie's dorm. Haden's supposed to be in the latter's year, but dragon pox had other plans, and Haden is, thus, in the year below instead. She doesn't mind, really - the girls are lovely, and she's made some wonderful friends - but it's in a human's nature to wonder what could have been, and Haden is no exception.
Unfortunately, Professor Flitwick is a hard taskmaster, her Charms essay won't write itself, and Haden can't afford to get distracted. Thus, she flips open yet another reference book, scrawls out another few lines in what will become her second draft, and longs for the winter holidays ahead.
They can't arrive soon enough.
Author's Note: If this were under a different title, I'd call it 'Catching Snowflakes'. It's the winter arc of this little tale. Hope you enjoyed. I'm sorry it took so long.