I absolutely enjoyed writing this chapter. I hope you enjoy reading it.


When I awoke on the morning of the Yule Ball, I couldn't stop myself from smiling. The anticipation from the night ahead was killing me and the butterflies in my stomach felt like a swarm of wasps. It appeared that Angelina and Alicia were already awake and gossiping about the night that awaited us.

"Why didn't anyone wake me up?" I asked them as I wiped sleep from my eyes.

"We tried," they said at the same time, "you just wouldn't wake."

"Oh," was all I said as I got up and made my way to the bathroom.

The first couple days of winter break were absolutely paradise. Not having to wake up early for classes, day after day, I could get used to this. Angelina reported that she and Fred were officially going out. I was happy for her, especially since things with George and I weren't awkward anymore. Not to say that they were awkward at all before, but I finally came to terms with my actual feelings. Ever since he asked me to the Ball with him, I haven't been able to get him off my mind. When, before, I used to try not to look at him, for fear that I would start blushing and he would see me. But now, I wasn't afraid to openly look at him. Whenever he was focusing on something, he would push his hair back with his left hand and knit his eyebrows together. Whenever he was bored with something, he would kick back in his chair with his arms behind his head, and simultaneously his muscles in his arms and chest would relax. When I first met him, he told me that he never realized how observant I was, and now I understand what he meant. I paid attention to the small details in a person. And, I admit, I didn't mind paying attention to George's details in the least.


Alicia, Angelina, and I all put last minute details and finishing touches on our outfits as we were exiting our room. Alicia's hair was pin straight and pulled back in a high and classy ponytail. Angelina's hair was pulled back also, into a tight bun on the back of her head. My hair was left loose and fell in curls around my face. I thought it went well with the poof that started at the waist of my dress. As we walked out of the Gryffindor common room, Alicia was immediately greeted by her date. He kissed her hand in the cliché romantic way, but she loved it. She waved to us as he walked her towards the Ball.

And then there were two. I thought to myself.

Angelina and I walked down to the Yule Ball entrance. All the decorations were so wintery and romantic. I would have thought it was a little corny if I hadn't been so excited. We stood there waiting for a few minutes; we talked about absolutely nothing. We were just trying to pass the time. Fred arrived first. He kissed Angelina's hand just as Alicia's date had, and whisked her away into the Ball.

And then there was one. I thought. I knew in the back of my mind that it would turn out this way. I would end up being the last one standing. I was used to things working out this way though, so I leaned myself against the nearest wall and hummed a tune to myself. I felt a hand creep around my waist. I turned with a smile to who I expected was George. My smile faded instantly. Daniel Acosta stood so close I could feel his breathe on my nose. I pulled myself out of grasp and took a step back. I gave him an incredulous look and his grin widened. He smelled of fire whiskey.

"What is a pretty thing like yourself standing all alone for?" He asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively. I rolled my eyes at him.

"I'm not alone. I'm—I'm waiting on my date." I said plainly. He scoffed.

"That bloke Weasley no doubt?" He asked me with a sneer. I just nodded.

"Why not forget about him and come with me instead?" He winked at me and tried to snake his arm around my waist again. I was not going to have any of this. I slapped him as hard as I could, right across the face. He brought a hand to his face and stared at me, not knowing how to respond.

"Don't you dare touch me." I said with a mouthful of acid.

"What the bloody hell is going on over here?" I looked over Acosta's shoulder and saw George jogging over to us. I pushed past the stunned and slapped Slytherin and met George half way. He gave me a concerned look and I just shook my head.

"Let's talk about it later. I'd rather not have Acosta ruin my night with you." I said putting a small smile on my lips. He smiled widely and seeming to remember something, reached into his dress robes. He took out a lovely sunflower.

"You didn't really seem like the rose type." He said still smiling at me. His hair was neater than normal, but was not formal in the least. I liked that. He looked good in dress robes, too. They fit him just right. My heart was melting. I took flower from him and put it in my hair, right by my ear.

"Thank you," I chuckled, "you're right, I'm not the rose type."

"Shall we?" He lifted his elbow to me, and I intertwined my arm in his as we walked into the Ball. We walked through the crowds of people, trying to find Fred and Angelina. George quickly stopped and spun around.

"On second thought, maybe we should leave them alone." He looked down at me and winked. I peered over his shoulder and saw what he meant. The Ball was just starting and they were already snogging in the corner. I laughed and followed George.

At the beginning, during the traditional boring dance, George and I didn't go on the dance floor. It wasn't because we didn't want to; it had more to do with the fact that we skipped every dance practice that McGonagall had issued. We didn't want to make a fool out of ourselves. But I had fun just sitting with George and making fun of the people on the dance floor that didn't know what they were doing. As we were commenting on Hagrid's dancing abilities, George reached out and took my hand. I looked at him, a little taken aback. He met my gaze and the rest of the room seemed to fade away. I felt heat rush to my face and I smiled at him. I squeezed his hand and intertwined our fingers. He didn't pull away.

While the Weird Sisters were performing, George and I were dancing and acting crazy. I had never been exposed to Wizarding music before, because my Gramps banned it from ever being in the house, but I loved it, and apparently so did George. We fought our way to the front and found Fred and Angelina there. During one of the songs, the lead singer leaned down and held my hand. My head felt light. After the performance, I needed a break. We all made our way out of the crowd and sat down at the nearest table. Fred and George went to get Angelina and I some punch. We informed each other of the night's events, and I told her that we saw her and Fred snogging. She blushed but didn't seem ashamed at all. When the twins returned, I thirstily took my cup out of George's outreached hand and drank until it was empty. I felt George put a hand on my knee and I smiled at him. I was genuinely happy that I had decided to go to the Ball with him.

Later that night, when a majority of the people that were there earlier had started trickling out one couple at a time, the slow songs began. George was a very skilled dancer; he even tipped me backwards for one of the songs and made me flush like crazy. After a short break, George took me by the hand and led me on to the dance floor. As the song began, I leaned my head against George's shoulder and dissolved into his body. I could feel the muscles in his arms and he wrapped them around me. Since he had taken off his robes earlier, he was left in a white dress shirt. I closed my eyes as the music took over my movements.

"I'm really glad that you said yes." George whispered in my ear. I sighed as his breath tickled my skin.

"I am too." I said.

After that song, we left the ball for the night, hand in hand. We walked slowly in the direction of the Gryffindor common room, taking no short cuts. It was nice walking in the dark, silent corridors with George. He made the silence peaceful. Abruptly, George stopped in the middle of the hallway and dropped my hand. I was confused. I looked up into his bright brown eyes. They were laced with bits of gold and green and honey. He gave me that heart melting smile of his. I bit the inside of my lip and looked down at my hands. I knew my cheeks were red. He lifted his left hand, and with the tip of his finger, lifted my chin to look at him again. I held my breath and blinked. I looked into his eyes again. He seemed to be studying my face.

"Has anyone ever told you that your eyes are like sapphires?" He asked with a bit of a smile in his words.

I let out the breath I was holding and smiled. He was trying to ease the tension. "No," I said, "but I suspect it would be because it sounds a bit corny."

He let out a chuckle. "Maybe corny's my style."

I reached out and held his hand. It was soft, but calloused in some places. I didn't let go when my heart beat quickened or my hands turned clammy. I looked up into his eyes with a new determination. He blushed, but still held my gaze.

"I really like you Amanda." He said plainly. He lifted his free hand and pushed my bangs out of my eyes. I blinked. Once. Twice. Three times.

"George," I smiled at him, "I like you, and I'm finally ready to accept that."

I lifted my free hand and straightened out his bow tie. He raised his hand to my face; his thumb gently stroked my cheek. I closed my eyes, and the next second, I felt his lips. They were soft and warm and sweet. I let go of his hand and brought my arms around his neck. His tongue tasted of fruit punch. His hands went to my waist.

Someone cleared their throat. It sounded like a gunshot in the silence. Our silence, that no one else was supposed to be experiencing. George and I jumped and stepped a foot away from each other. Someone was standing just beyond sight, in the dark corridor. Akosta stepped out from the shadows, arms crossed, with a smug look on his face. He was silently chuckling at us. As soon as I realized who it was, I grabbed hold of George's hand.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" He stepped closer to us, looking down at our hands. "Looks like your snog fest is over." He gave me his best devilish smile.

I took a deep breath. "Akosta, why do you still feel like you have a chance with me? How many times do I have to say no before you actually understand what that word means?"

He ignored my questions and looked at George, still talking to me. "You know, I always had a hunch that I would catch you with him sometime. I just still don't understand why." He sneered at George and then turned his attention back at me. His eyes were bloodshot. He was drunk.

"It's sad because, if your ego wasn't so inflated, and your attitude wasn't so shitty, I might actually think you were attractive." I kept a straight face as Akosta's face experienced a sudden wave of shock. But, just as suddenly, it was replaced with his ridiculous grin.

"My ego isn't the only thing that is inflated." He slurred and winked at me.

I didn't even know how to respond to that. I was completely disgusted. George was squeezing the hell out of my hand.

"Alright, I can't take this anymore." George said to me. He started walking away and I was happy to join him.

"Running away from your fights Weasel?" Akosta said. I could hear his ego dripping in his voice.

George turned and looked at him. "I'm not going to give you the satisfaction." I've never heard George speak that seriously before.

"You don't talk to me like that." Akosta snapped. I guess Fire Whiskey could do that to a guy, especially a guy like him. Just as George was turning back to me, Akosta clipped the side of his face with his fist. I stepped in front of George, slid my wand out, and held it to Akosta's face. I stared him in the eye, not blinking.

"Amanda, he's not worth it." George put his hand on my shoulder, holding his face with the other. "Don't do it."

I glared at Akosta. I didn't want to lower my wand. But I did. I turned my back to him. He started laughing. "Letting your girlfriend fight your battles for you, aye Weasel?"

George looked me in the eye. I sighed and nodded. He turned around and punched the idiot right in the nose. He groaned as the bone crunched.

"Geez, I didn't think you were gonna punch him that hard!" I stared at Akosta as blood trickled down his face.

"I think I broke his nose…" George said a little proud of himself, as he watched him sink to his knees.

I cracked a small smile, and looked up at George. "I think we should probably leave now…" George said. We ran to the common room.


Once we were back, it was pretty late and there were only a few people left in the common room. We sat down on the couch and I examined George's face. The bruise there was pretty dark, and George winced every time I let my finger tips graze over it.

"You don't have anything in your room that gets rid of bruises, do you?" I asked with my hand on his chin, turning his face.

"No, all we have is pain relievers, nothing to get rid of the actual bruise." He said. I dropped my hands and looked into his face, into his eyes.

"That's okay." I said with a smile. "I kind of like the whole tough-guy bruise persona that it gives you." I winked at him and he smiled devilishly.

"Do you, now?" He asked with his eyebrows raised. I nodded and leaned closer to him. He smirked at me and I closed the space between us. Our lips connected for the second time that night, but this time, no one could interrupt this moment. My hands were in his hair. His arms were wrapped around my waist. Our tongues were best friends. I smiled against his lips. Everything about this felt right.


Ooooo. Things are heating up. Review! Give me some ideas for future chapters? Pretty please? :D