Hello! It's that time again! School….BOOOO! So, yeah I started school about a while ago, so I wanted to let you all know that the chapters are going to be coming out at a slower pace than usual. I'm also part of a play, taking ballet, and voice lessons as well. YIKES. Don't worry though; I think of you all a lot, so I'm always scribbling a paragraph or two on my down time. Thanks for being patient!
All the characters and places mentioned in this fanfiction belong to J.K. Rowling. They are not my own except for my character!
Sorry for any misspellings or grammatical errors. Reviews are welcome and appreciated, but please be nice. Enjoy Chapter 7!
Chapter 7
Wishful Thinking
Ron and Harry were talking again. What a relief.
As soon as we got back to the Common Room from the First Task, Ron finally got smart enough to realize this whole "Harry cheated" thing wasn't Harry's fault. Hermione and I had rolled our eyes, not fully understanding why Ron had doubted him in the first place.
"Boys." Hermione huffed as we strolled up the stairs to our dorm.
I chuckled and agreed with her, waving goodnight to Harry and Ron. "Yeah…Anyway, I wonder what this golden egg will reveal. Didn't Dumbledore say it contained a clue of some sort?"
Hermione nodded, "Yes, I asked Harry about it after the thing screeched. I thought about going to the library tomorrow and see if there is anything about it. I'm confident there will be something in Triwizard History."
I opened the door for Hermione before I stepped inside, then shuffling over to my messy bed and flopping down onto it. "Man I'm beat." I sighed, reaching for my nightgown on the pillow.
"We'll today was a…exciting day. We should get some sleep while we can. Besides, we have an assembly tomorrow."
An assembly? I questioned myself, pulling my shirt and sweater over my head. I hadn't heard there was going to be one.
Hermione read the puzzled look on my face an explained, "McGonagall announced that there will be an assembly tomorrow afternoon. She wanted to discuss something important, something about a Yule Ball. It's a tournament tradition, apparently." She shrugged and removed her skirt, folded it, and placed it in her trunk.
"Yule Ball? You mean… like a dance?" I inquired, thoughts spinning through my mind. I felt a little dizzy…and excited.
Hermione grinned and nodded, "Isn't it wonderful? I wonder what the Professor will say. Well, anyhow, we won't know until we sleep and get tomorrow started. So let's crash."
We changed into our pajamas and nestled down under our red covers. The fire, in the small stove in the middle of the room, slowly died down to just glowing coals and small pops and crackles.
I heard a meow in the other corner of the room and watched as a flat-faced orange cat hopped up onto Hermione's bed, it was Crookshanks. He purred loudly as he flopped down onto Hermione's comforter. I grinned, watching his eyes slowly blink at me.
Soon all the lights were out and everyone drifted off into dreamland.
A small rumble of voices reverberated through the classroom as the boys and girls were separated opposite sides. Both excitement and exasperation were present in the students' faces, more excitement for the girls than the boys. The sun was streaming through the windows, giving the room a soft white and grey glow. In the front of the room was a large record player sitting on a mahogany round table, its funnel nearly ten times the size of the machine itself. Filch the caretaker stood beside it, messing with the needle and volume nobs, making an awful scratching sound mixed with cursing and the occasional meow of his cat Ms. Norris.
Professor McGonagall, standing in front of the table, garbed in her usual evergreen robes, cleared her throat and waited for the noise to die down.
Hermione and I finished our conversation with Ginny and turned our attention to the front of the room, excited to hear what she had to say.
McGonagall clasped her hands together and took a step forward. "The Yule Ball has been a tradition of the Triwzard Tournament since its inception," she said, looking about the room, "On Christmas Eve night, we and our guests gather in the Great Hall for a night of well-mannered triviality." Her eyes glared at a few students, some of the boys giggled.
"As representatives of the host school, I expect each and every one of you to put your best foot forward, and I mean this quite literally because…" McGonagall paused, "the Yule Ball is first and foremost…a dance."
The students erupted into sound. The boys groaned and rolled their eyes while us girls chirped enthusiastically.
"Quiet, now, everyone! Quiet!" McGonagall hollered, and the noise quickly died down. She recomposed herself and spoke again, "The house of Godric Gryffindor has commanded the respect of the wizarding world for nearly ten centuries. I will not have you, in the course of a single evening, besmirching that name by behaving like a babbling, bumbling band of baboons!" She frowned and stared down at us all to make her point, and then she took a slow step forward, bringing her arms out in front of her in a graceful position.
"Now to dance is to make the body breathe," she instructed, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and turning toward us, "Inside every girl, a secret swan slumbers, longing to burst forth and take flight."
She spun around and brought her arms upward, one arm higher than the other, almost like Gryffindor's symbol, "Inside very boy, a lordly lion prepared to prance."
I glanced over at the boys section to find Ron whispering into Harry's ear. Whatever he had said, it made them both chuckle and this caught McGonagall's attention.
"Mr. Weasley!" she called, striding toward him, "Will you join me please?"
Ron's face went pink as he stood and led McGonagall to the middle of the floor, giggles and small jeers following him. He turned and threw a death glare at the guys as McGonagall adjusted his hands to the correct position for waltzing. She nodded at Mr. Filch and he started the music.
We watched as Ron and the Professor swayed and twirled around the dance floor, all the while counting to the beat of the music.
I glanced over at Hermione, who was staring at Ron, her eyes shifting from his feet to his face. She seemed to be observing him, watching his every move, but I could see the curiosity in her eyes. The Yule Ball excited her to no end. She couldn't hide that from me.
I turned my attention back to the swirling couple, and my mind's eye began to wander…
What would Harry and I look like..? Can Harry dance? Would he ask me to the ball?
McGonagall snapped me out of my dreamland when she announced that everyone get on their feet, pick a partner and practice.
All of the girls leapt up at once, smiling excitedly, but the boys shrunk back in their seats.
I stayed in my seat as I watched Hermione get to her feet and stride over to Ron. I saw they exchanged a few words, and then they both blushed, and took the first position. The music started up again and soon there were swirling and swaying couples everywhere.
I sat there shyly in my seat, watching the couples move around the dance floor. I didn't know what to do. Should I get up and find a partner? Or, the better question: should I get up and ask Harry to dance?
I sat there for a few minutes, arguing with myself, and I didn't notice when someone walked up to me. I heard a throat being cleared and saw a pair of black shoes and slacks standing in front of me.
It was Neville, with a shy grin on his face. He extended a hand toward me, "W-would you like to practice with me, Isabella?" he asked, stuttering slightly.
I smiled, he was a sweet boy. "Sure, Neville. Just…don't step on my foot." I joked.
He grinned as I took his hand and lead me to the dance floor. He placed his right hand on my back and led me with the other. We slowly began to waltz, and my heart thumped nervously. I tried counting in my head..1 2 3..1 2 3…
"Have you ever danced before, Bella?" Neville asked, breaking my concentration. I decided not to think too hard about the steps.
"No, not really. I mean, I've seen movies and danced around my room as a girl, but…" I chuckled slightly, "otherwise, I've never danced with another person."
Neville smiled, "Well, now you'll know how. You have a good sense of rhythm."
I chuckled, "Thanks. So do you."
We twirled around in silence for a few minutes. As we came around to the boy's side of the room, I glanced over to find Harry sitting beside Seamus Finnigan. He was slumped over in his chair, listening to Seamus tell him one of his family stories again.
I saw him glance up for a moment, and I watched him as he watch me dancing with Neville.
Oh Harry…I thought.
Neville noticed me staring and followed my eyes. I heard him chuckle.
"What?" I asked, solemnly.
Neville smiled, sympathetically, "Why don't you ask him?"
I blushed harshly, how did Neville know? I cleared my throat, "Uh-um. Ask who?"
Neville smirked, obviously seeing through my disguise, "Him. Harry. I've seen the way you look at him. We all have. Why, don't you as him to the ball?"
I looked up at Neville and stopped dancing, sighing, "I-…I just can't, Neville. I don't even know if he would want to go with me. Especially since…well…he likes Cho Chang..."
Neville put a hand on my shoulder, "Tell him how you feel then. I'm sure he feels the same. You're his closest friend. There has to be something there."
My heart was sinking. I had the lowest confidence in the world. I knew we shared a few moments together, but I still wasn't sure if he even knew how I felt. I dropped hints as much as I could, but Harry had the thickest head in the world.
I shook my head, "I'm not so sure…"
Neville frowned and placed his hands on his hips, "Bella, I think you've got friendship over Cho. Plus you've got a prettier face." He smiled again, "Buck up dream girl. Just ask him. Worst he can say is that he never wants to be your friend."
I blushed slightly and couldn't help but smile. Plant boy, was right. I had to at least ask Harry. Technically it is usually the boy who asks, but in this case…I needed to. I had to tell Harry how I felt before it was too late, and the Yule Ball was the perfect place to do it.
McGonagall soon raised her hands above her head to get our attention and dismissed us for the rest of our day classes. As the students filed out, I thanked Neville for his advice and quickly searched for my posy.
I spotted Harry's unruly hair from across the room and ran over to join him. Ron and Hermione soon caught up and we made our way to Potions.
I let the boys walk a little ahead as I pulled Hermione back a moment. I needed to tell her what went on in the assembly.
"You're serious?" Hermione gasped when I finished telling her.
"I am. I'm going to do it. I don't know when…or how. But I'm gonna try." I said sheepishly.
Hermione hugged me, "I want to help. Tell you what, if you can help me get Ron to ask me, I'll help you ask Harry. Deal?"
"What about Krum?" I asked, teasingly.
She blushed, I knew she liked him. "N-no. No Krum. Not at all."
"Uh-huh, suuure!" I chuckled.
She punched me in the arm and stormed off after the boys. I trotted behind her, laughing as she glared at me.
