Chapter 3: The Yule Ball
The Yule Ball seems to have turned our school into a house of hormones. We're all sitting in Study Period with Snape standing guard. I don't really have anything to do. I just look at Andrew as he sits with some guys from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. He has grown from the little boy in the meadow to a kind-faced guy. He looks nothing like the typical Slytherin. He is finally growing into his lanky arms and legs, and is a good-looking sort. He's not the usual Slytherin, nothing like Malfoy and his pureblood supremacist ways, but just as cunning and resourceful. Ron and Hermione are working on Defense against the Dark Arts homework, which I have already finished. Snape, who is prowling the Great Hall, is throwing occasional glance our way. I then catch movement out of the corner of my eye, it is a note that has been charmed to fly and it lands in front of me. We're lucky that Snape has his back turned to us. I quickly recognize Andrew's neat writing.
You, me…Yule Ball?
I take the note and tuck it beneath my books while Snape is prowling towards us again. I pretend to read from my Charms book. When Snape finally turns back around, I reply in my script.
You really have to ask? Yes, of course. I think I was meant to ask you...since I'm a champion and all.
I refold the note and hold it in my hand and blow it back towards Andrew.
"So?" Hermione asks me, in a whisper. A smile tugs on the edge of her lips.
"It was an invitation to the Yule Ball, from Andrew," I tell them.
"That's brilliant," Hermione tells me.
Ron spews pumpkin juice out of his mouth and nose. "Whoa, you do realize what house he's in. Andrew Stanton — Slytherin!" Ron says as if now just realizing this fact. "They're supposed to be our arch nemesis!"
I wonder what he will say when he learns who Hermione's date is. She told me that it is none other than Viktor Krum. It seems like my interfering had positive results.
"He's a Chaser, Ronald! They have known each other for a while. More so than us, even," Hermione says quietly, but with just as much firmness as her normal voice has.
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," Ron says as he gets up and leaves.
Hermione and I finish study hall about half an hour later and make our way to charms. After Charms we leave for the Tower.
The next week is weird; people are watching me as I pass, whispering, almost like when they thought I opened Chamber of secrets — almost.
The night of the Yule ball is now here: Christmas. I'm not getting ready with the rest of the girls in our dorm, but I am helping. I want to be a surprise. They all leave early and I get ready.
All of the other girls couldn't wait to show everyone their dresses when they bought them, but I never did. Even Hermione hasn't seen it. I put my dress on. It is an emerald green silky material. It is a halter-top that exposes only the top quarter of my back and had a little bit of a train. I finally take the French braid out of my hair that it's been in all day. My hair is pretty wavy, but I curl it some more. I situate the fringe on my forehead, and I then put on my shoes. I look myself in the mirror to see my mother's green eyes staring back at me. I take a deep calming breath and leave for the Great Hall.
Andrew POV:
I think I'm going to pace myself into a heart attack. I'm so nervous. Why am I nervous? Shannon is my best friend and has been for a very long time. I can't imagine my life without her. I still pace in front of the statue that rests in the entrance hall. I want to ask him what he's looking at, but being a non-magical inanimate object, he's A: not really looking at me, and B: not going to hear nor reply to the inquiry.
Deep breaths, Andrew. Deep breaths.
The Durmstrang boys aren't so original in their robes. They are all wearing the same red robes with fur collars. All the Beauxbatons are in a color pallet of blue and grey silks.
Every time I hear the sound of an approach, I look up only to be disappointed that it's not Shannon.
Finally I hear a pair of heels click against the stone floor of the castle. They pause before they can enter the Entrance Hall.
Definitely her.
I have no idea as to what she's going to look like, but I know that I'm not going to be disappointed.
The first thing I see is a swatch of emerald green shiny fabric that shyly makes it way into the open.
I don't believe my eyes. I honestly cannot tell if what I'm seeing is real or a hallucination. I can hear the collective gasp from the people standing around me. I look around to see looking up at her. She's the only one I see right now. The crowd gathered in the Entrance Hall fades to black and it's like there's just a light shining on her.
She looks like she can be glowing…she looks almost angelic as she walks down the steps. I can see make up framing her face, highlighting her eyes. They just seem to pop. Her lips also have a bit of color.
Her beautiful emerald green dress frames her body beautifully and moves with her graceful movement down the steps. Her waist-length hair is half up and the curls bounce as she descends down the stairs.
I can't help but smile at her. I can't believe that it's her.
I believe I just might be the luckiest guy in the world.
Shannon POV:
I hardly see anyone on the stairs; they must already be in the Great Hall. The Yule Ball isn't about to get started, but everyone apparently wants to get there early. I stop before I reach the opening to the Entrance Hall. I can hear the humming of a very large group of people. I take another deep breath to gather myself and step out nervously. I hear people gasp, but not in a bad way.
"She looks beautiful," I hear Padma and Parvati say at the same time, staring at me. The other students down there look like fish.
I spot Andrew at the bottom of the stairs and he just smiles broadly at me. We both just stop and stare at each other. He looks very handsome in his dress robes. He reaches out his hand and takes mine, locking our fingers together. We go over to where Hermione and Krum are standing among some other students. I can't wait to see Ron's face!
"Shannon, you look amazing!" Hermione tells me.
"So do you — your hair!"
Hermione just flushes. Our dates acknowledge each other with a handshake.
I can hear the sound of an approach behind us.
We both look towards the staircase when we see the mass of Slytherin students come up from the dungeons. Pansy Parkinson, who has her arm woven through Malfoy's, sneers at Hermione and I very disturbingly. It makes her face more ugly.
"Miss Potter — good, you're here. You look divine. Emerald suits you. Though it is our rivals color, no offense Mr. Stanton. Champions, with me," McGonagall tells us with a smile on her face. She is wearing red dress robes and her long hair is down, not in it's normal tight bun.
"She is right, you look divine. You should have seen the look on everyone's faces when you came down the stairs," Andrew whispers in my ear as we follow her towards the doors.
"I'm sure you are just exaggerating, Andrew. And besides, you might be a little biased," I giggle out nervously. With hands linked together, we walk behind her, ending up in the rear.
We all situate ourselves and Professor McGonagall leads us into the Great Hall and we are greeted by a rather enthusiastic applause. Fleur leads the way in with her date, then Krum and Hermione, then Cedric and Cho, and then Andrew and myself. The other students, who didn't know that I was going with Andrew, look and are whispering. I can also see the teachers talking and looking. Andrew is clearly taking this the gentlemanly way. He could be flouting me around or he could be showing me off as Aunt Marge would Ripper, but he's not. He clearly wants to help make this night fun for me.
The eight of us take our positions on the dance floor. Before Flitwick can start the school band, Andrew gives me a bow and with a slight giggle and a smile, I acknowledge him with a curtsey.
Flitwick starts the band and we all being to waltz. Andrew's lead is an effortless one to follow. He dances very well. McGonagall and Dumbledore join us as a pair, and more people join in. Flitwick comes onto the stage to announce the Weird Sisters. People go bonkers. They start dancing, if you can call it that. I grab Andrew's hand and lead him to the refreshments, where we can overhear the teachers, who have regrouped. This kind of dancing isn't necessarily my cup of tea. We make our way over by the refreshments where the teachers are grouped. They're not doing a good job at hiding their conversation.
"Who would have thought — Lily's daughter with a Slytherin?" McGonagall asks. "But unsurprisingly a quidditch player," she adds.
Dumbledore laughs. "Not entirely surprising. But Mr. Stanton's not one we need to worry about."
"It's good to see her be able to act like a regular teenage girl, poor thing. And if it counts for anything, he's a good kid," Professor Sprout says.
Andrew just gives me a mischievous grin as he finally pulls me to the dance floor when another upbeat song begins to play. I don't exactly feel like looking like a trollop like some of the girls here. I don't want to look lame either.
Middle ground, Shannon. Middle ground.
Andrew leads me to where Hermione and Krum are dancing. Seeing her cut loose is good to see. I might be just as studious as her, but I'm not quite as uptight.
I imagine that Ron is off sulking somewhere with Parvati.
Everything seems to pause as a slow song begins to play. Andrew smiles as he takes my waist and pulls me in. His other hand is holding my other gently.
"I still sometimes can't believe you're a snake," I tease him while I look at his face to see nothing but pure delight swimming in his brown eyes.
"A snake can be scary when it wants to be, just take Snape for instance. He's not that bad, but when giving certain speeches, he's menacing."
"What?" I ask him, completely shocked. My eyes search his face for any hint of whatever he's speaking about.
"Personally, I think it's all an act."
I just snort.
"Oh, come on, Shannon, it is not that bad," he tells me.
"Not yet," I reply sadly.
Andrew just nods sadly at me.
But then I hear, "Miss Potter is nothing but professional in the Pitch!" McGonagall says, directed at Snape.
Andrew just looks at me with an eyebrow raised. "Are you 'professional'?" he asks me.
"Seeing as how I always get the snitch before Malfoy, I suppose so," I tease.
There is another slow song and Andrew pulls me even closer, and I rest my chin on his shoulder.
I've never felt more at peace than I have right now.
I suddenly hear Hermione yelling. Andrew and I turn so that we can both see her.
"I'd never help him work out his egg!" Hermione screeches. "I want Shannon to win the tournament!"
"You've got a funny way of showing it," Ron sneers.
"Wonder what's going on with him?" I ask Andrew when I see Hermione storm away from Ron.
"Exactly the same thing that I would do if I saw you with someone else," Andrew tells me.
"Jealous. You think he's jealous? If he wanted to go with her, why didn't he just ask her?"
Andrew just shrugs. "Dunno."
We are one of the few couples left. I pull away from Andrew and playfully shove him and take off into the Entrance Hall. He easily catches up with me and grabs me around the waist. I just squeal. Andrew spins me around and sets me back down on my feet.
"You know— if we were flying, you would've never caught me."
The teachers then come out and bid us a goodnight. Snape just stops, looks and wordlessly sweeps out of the hall.
"Is that a challenge?" Andrew asks me playfully, raising a brow. "Quidditch pitch in ten minutes?"
"You're on!" I agree.
I go back to the common room and everyone is asleep, except for Hermione.
"So?"
"Tonight's the most fun I've had in my life. But it's not over yet!" I whisper, while changing clothes.
"Shannon, you shouldn't!" she whispers as I run out the door, broom in hand.
I beat him here, but he arrives just a couple minutes later. I extend a lumos charm to the middle of the pitch.
"Alright, we both know the rules."
We both fly up and I aim my wand at the box on the ground, and the bludgers are still chained. Only the snitch flies up. It flies by each of our heads, just like a normal game and disappears.
"All right on three," Andrew starts. "One, two, THREE!" We both dart off in opposite directions. My lumos charm is bright enough so that we have good visibility. About five minutes later, I see a shimmer of gold and jet towards it. Andrew is still roaming around the pitch. I catch it and land. Just to be face to face with a very mad looking Madame Hooch and an extremely sour looking Snape. Andrew then lands a few feet away, totally oblivious.
"So you caught it first, big deal. We didn't have any stakes. And I'm not even a seeker!" He still carries on and then he pauses. "Oh! Professor Snape…Madame Hooch."
"Stanton, do you want tell me why you and Potter are on the pitch in the dark, unsupervised?" Snape asks in his low, monotone voice.
"Well, we aren't in the dark," I say, sounding like a smart aleck.
Madam Hooch just glares at me, and Snape looks just like he always does.
"You could have had an accident! You could have killed yourselves. You could have —" Madame Hooch looks like she is going into hysterics.
"Thank you, Rolanda," Snape interrupts, and she falls quiet.
"If I catch you out here unsupervised again, I'll ban the both of you until graduation. Do I make myself clear?" Madam Hooch replies angrily.
"Yes, ma'am," Andrew and I both reply.
"Twenty points from Gryffindor. I expect the both of you in my classroom at ten in the morning for detention," Snape informs us.
Christmas break is three more days. We are lucky that he didn't order us more detention.
He does his famous turn and stalks off.
"Great, we get —" I start.
"Detention for Christmas," we both finish.
"Jinx."
"We have to take that literally now!" he says, laughing.
I shove him and we both make our way to our dorms. But when we are on the way, we can hear hushed voices. We hide below one of the openings in the corridor by the courtyard where this little argument is happening.
"It's been getting clearer for months! I am becoming seriously concerned, I can't deny it," The Durmstrang headmaster says, whispering urgently.
"Then Flee!" Snape says, not sounding a bit scared.
"You don't admit it, but you are scared."
"I have nothing to be afraid of Igor. Can you say the same?"
"Nothing to be afraid, of? Ha! Then you won't mind, perhaps, rolling up your sleeve?" Karkaroff says, motioning towards Snape's left arm.
Snape just raises it into the air, out of the Bulgarian's reach. Andrew and I just keep looking at them, not knowing what is going on. Karkaroff storms back into the castle. Snape just stands there for a couple of minutes before presumably heading back to his office.
"I wonder what that was all about?" I ask Andrew.
"Can't be good," Andrew tells me.
I immediately turn around to face him. "What do you know?" We both halt in the middle of the corridor.
"Left forearms are where Death Eaters get their Marks burned on," Andrew tells me.
"Wait…you think…Snape? He might be a bit —" I can't find the word — "But a Death Eater?" I begin to ask.
"Appears so," Andrew tells me.
"But surely Dumbledore wouldn't have let him the castle, if he was still with Voldemort."
"I wouldn't think so either," Andrew tells me.
I sigh as we reach the Fat Lady. "I'm going to bed, see you tomorrow," I say, hugging him again and giving him a quick peck on the lips.
"So does this mean we're official now?"
"I think we always have been," I tell him, smiling.
I go back into the dorm, where Hermione is in the common room waiting for me.
"So?" she asks, skeptically.
"We just played quidditch and we got caught. I have detention in the morning."
"I told you not to go!"
"Well, it's done. I'm going to bed; I have to be at Snape's detention at ten and it's already late."
I walk towards the dorms and hear Hermione take in a deep breath as she follows me.
I wake up the next morning around eight and get dressed in jeans and a hooded jumper that Andrew gave me. I throw my long wavy hair in a low messy bun and make my way to the Great Hall. There is hardly anyone here as the younger kids went home while we went to the Yule Ball. I go back to my dorm before I leave for the dungeons at 9:45. I get to Snape's door and knock.
"Enter," I hear his voice. He doesn't sound so bitter today — must be the eggnog, I joke. Or this day is just about to get a lot worse.
"Ah, yes. Miss Potter. You'll be cleaning out cauldrons today." Then Andrew walks in. "Stanton, you'll be scrubbing off tables and the floor. No magic will be required for these tasks — Wandless or otherwise," he orders, looking at me as he finishes his sentence.
"Yes, sir," I tell him as I begin to get the cauldrons down off of the counter and begin work. I am internally humming to make the time pass faster. I am able to finish the cauldrons before Andrew could finish cleaning the room, so I go to help him. Snape stays at his desk, reading the Daily Prophet. I can often feel his eyes watching us. Unfortunately I am once again the main buzz. Weird things have been going on this year, nothing entirely new, but still — it's a little unsettling.
"It's nice to know that you live such a dramatic life Potter. Let's see what is ailing you, now. Ah yes. Girl who lived: torn between friends and Slytherin boyfriend. Ms. Skeeter seems to bring out the best in you, Potter." I see something flash in his black eyes, but before I can make it out, it's gone.
"Shannon," Andrew warns me sternly from the table behind me.
"You just expect me to sit here and take this? This involves you, too," I whisper back.
"I don't care."
It takes all my might not to just throw the dirty towel at Snape's face. I couldn't miss if I use his nose as a target. He looks quite smug. He continues to read from the article. The heat running in my veins translates into setting the paper on fire, while still in Snape's hands.
"I thought you would have wanted to keep up with your press clippings," he says while vanishing the ash off of his desk. I just ignore him out of sheer anger. If I don't, I am bound to do something to get me in even more trouble.
We have been cleaning up for about three hours before we finish.
"That'll do. Ten points from Gryffindor, for nearly setting me on fire," he ordered us away. I walk over to the sink and wash out the towels and hang them back on the hook by the sink.
"Shannon, you've got to be careful. Accidental magic like that could do some real damage," Andrew tells me as we clear the Potion Master's office.
"I know. But I was just so angry and it was not purely accidental."
"Well, he started it, so it was a little justified," he replies with a smile.
We meet Hermione and Ron in the library. We are all working on transfiguration homework McGonagall set before the Holiday. I finished the majority of it, so I don't have much to finish. Everyone else will be coming back the day after tomorrow for the next term and to watch the next tasks of the Tournament.
