Chapter 7
The next task wasn't until February, so things went back to normal. Well, as "normal" as things can get at Hogwarts. The weather was getting colder as winter neared. That also meant Christmas was coming. And this Christmas at Hogwarts was going to be a little different.
They found out the surprise in early December. Ron's mother had sent him ghastly dress robes, as had other boys' mums. Some of the girls received ball gowns in the mail. They had no idea what they were getting them for until one day when the Houses separated and the Heads told them what was happening. There was going to be a dance. An actual school dance, although it was more formally known as the Yule Ball. The students were told it was a tradition of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The girls seemed far more excited about this than the boys.
"So, how are the dance lessons going?" Loren asked Seamus one night at dinner. McGonagall was having the Gryffindor House have weekly dance lessons, to make sure none of them would embarrass her at the ball.
"Oh they are just going splendidly," Seamus answered her, sarcastically.
"Oh come on, you can't be that bad."
"No really, he is," Neville spoke up. "He keeps stepping on his partners, and dropping them, and-"
"Thank you Neville," Seamus stopped him, turning red. "I think we all get it."
Loren giggled, but changed the subject. "Have you asked anyone yet Neville?"
"I asked Hermione, but she's already got a date."
"Ron? Please tell me it's Ron." She said this quietly.
"Please, do you really think he's going to make a move like that? But anyways, I then asked Ginny and she said yes."
"Aw, good for you." She smiled at him.
"What about you mate," Neville aimed to Seamus. "Get the nerve to ask someone?"
"I will ask someone when I'm good and ready, thank you," he said back.
"And this someone would be...?" Loren asked.
"No one, it's no one. Just, drop it. Please."
"Sure, fine."
It was quiet for a minute, then Neville spoke again after looking between the two of them. "So Loren, anyone you're hoping will ask you?"
"I'm probably going to end up not even going."
"What?" they both questioned.
"You've got to go!" Seamus told her. "If I'm going, you're going."
"I'm not going without a date, and I doubt I'll get asked. I'm not exactly someone's dream girl. I've never been asked out during any year by a guy, so why should that change now?" She looked down and played with her food.
"Because boys are stupid and thick when it comes to seeing what's right in front of them," Neville said. Loren didn't see, but he was staring down Seamus when he said that. Seamus just gave him a look. But then he turned to look at Loren.
"Don't be ridiculous. Of course a guy is gonna ask you. I mean, you're-you're...you're kind, smart, funny...beautiful." They both turned red at the last word he said. "So-so, you see, someone will ask." He quickly turned back to his food. Neville muttered something about them being as bad as someone else, but neither of the two heard him.
Everyone seemed to be pairing off over the next few days. Harry and Ron got dates, finally, after both being turned down by the girls they asked (Harry asked Cho Chang originally, and Ron asked/screamed at Fleur). But in the end, Harry was going with Pavarti, and Ron with Padama. Loren gave up any hope she had of Seamus asking her. He had even told her he was thinking about asking Lavender Brown. Loren had been asked by a couple boys, but she turned them down. She knew it would be too painful to go and see Seamus with someone else. So she accepted that she just was not going to go.
That night, she left Hufflepuff House, heading to Gryffindor to work on homework with Seamus. Little did she know what she was walking into.
"So, what are you up to Finnigan?" George asked Seamus. They were in the Gryffindor common room.
"Homework," he answered, not looking up.
"Loren's coming by, right?" Fred wondered.
"Yes. Why?"
"Oh, nothing. Just thought-"
"-you should be a gentleman-"
"-and wait for her-"
"-by the door," George finished.
Seamus put down his quill and looked to them. "You two are up to something."
"Nonsense," the twins answered at the same time.
"I think I'm fine waiting for her here, thank you." Fred and George looked to each other, then each took one of Seamus' arms and carried him over to the door; all the while Seamus shouting at them to put him down.
"Fine," they answered together again. They put him down and let him go.
"You two are mental," Seamus commented, then went to move. But he found he couldn't. He was stuck in his spot. "What the bloody hell did you do?"
Before they could answer, Loren came in. Smiling, she greeted Seamus and the twins. She looked back at her friend and saw he was glaring at the Weasleys. "What's wrong?"
"Try to move," he said, not taking his eyes of the boys.
Loren looked confused, but did what he said and discovered she was stuck too. She looked up and sent daggers to Fred and George. "What did you do?"
"Just a simple sticky charm," George replied, grinning.
"And the point of it?"
"So you two can't run away," Fred told them, also grinning.
"And why would we-" Seamus started to ask why but was interrupted by Fred waving his wand above their heads. They looked up and saw mistletoe grow. They looked at each other, each blushing furiously, then back to the twins. "Let us go."
"The charm will wear off as soon as you two kiss," George explained, very matter-of-factly. By now, the entirety of the common room had their eyes on them, waiting.
There was probably about a full minute of awkward silence, then Seamus exclaimed, "Oh whatever!" and grabbed Loren by the shoulders and crashed their lips together. He had meant to pull away immediately, but instead lingered for a few moments. The room was cheering and clapping, but neither of them heard it as they pulled apart. They just stared at each other for a few seconds, then Seamus turned to the brothers and said, after clearing his throat, "There. You happy?"
"Very," they answered in sync.
Loren and Seamus found that they could now move and hurried over to the table Seamus was at before, and started their homework.
They were normal with each other while working, except they wouldn't look each other in the eye, and every time their hands would accidentally touch, they would draw back immediately and turn pink.
When it got to be late, Loren decided it was time for her to leave. She and Seamus said goodnight, and she turned to go.
"Hey, Loren?" Seamus called after her, stopping her. She turned back to him. He suddenly felt like he was going to throw up. "Has, um, are-are you going to the Yule Ball with anyone?"
"No. Why?" She felt her cheeks get very hot and she felt very nervous, hoping she knew what he was about to say.
"Well," he swallowed very hard. "I was, well, uh, won-wondering if maybe...you wanted to go with me?"
Loren had to dig her nails into her hand to keep from smiling like an idiot.
"Yeah, sure Seamus. That'd be great."
Seamus bit his lip as a grin spread across his face. "Awesome. Uhm, I'll meet you there?"
"Perfect. So, I'll see you later?"
"Yeah, yeah. Later."
She walked to the door, then turned back to wave to him. He waved back, and she left. She ran back to her dorm. She had so much to tell Hannah.
The time between that night and the night of the Yule Ball dragged according to Loren. But finally, it arrived. She tried to avoid Seamus all that day, feeling as though she would puke if she saw him before.
That night, she and Hannah helped each other with their hair and makeup. Hannah had her strawberry blonde hair in a fancy updo, while Loren let her hair down and curled it.
Loren loved her dress. It was long, pale pink and flowy. The straps and bodice were sequined, and a pink sash ran around her waist.
"Oh Lore!" Hannah cried when her friend was dressed. "You look gorgeous! Seamus is gonna flip!"
"I hope he likes it," she said quietly, looking in the mirror.
The two left and made their way to the Great Hall. When they walked in, they separated, Hannah seeing her date. Loren looked around for Seamus, and found him talking with Dean. She got extremely nervous seeing him and felt like running away. But she took a breath, went to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and when he saw her his jaw dropped. He tried to speak but all that came out were stutters.
"Are you okay?" she asked him.
"You-you look..." he started, finding his voice.
For a moment, she thought he was going to say there was something wrong with her dress. "What? Do I look okay?" She looked down at herself then back at him.
"Words can't describe how beautiful you are." She smiled, blushing. He offered her his arm and they walked inside.
The Yule Ball officially started when the champions and their dates made their way down the aisle that the other students had made. Each school applauded their competitor as the pairs made their way to the dance floor. When the music started, Seamus and Loren tries their best to stifle their laughter while watching Harry.
"Okay, as bad a dancer I am, at least I'm not as awkward as Harry," he told her. Other couples eventually joined in on the dancing. Loren looked to her date, hoping he might ask her to dance. But he just looked to her awkwardly and said, "I'm getting tired of standing. Let's sit." Before she could say anything, he quickly moved to a table. She followed, a little disappointed.
Everyone there seemed to be having a lot fun; except for, as Loren noticed, Harry, Ron and their dates, who were just sitting at a table, away from everyone. Loren was anxious to actually dance, but Seamus seemed to have no interest. He finally seemed to come alive though when another boy from Durmstrang came over to ask Loren to dance.
"Actually, I was just about to ask her myself," he claimed.
"You were?" she questioned.
"Yes."
She looked at him, amused, then said to the Durmstrang student, "Sorry, but he is my date." She took Seamus' hand and they walked onto the dance floor.
A fast song had just ended and everyone got with their dates because a slow song had started. Loren and Seamus just stared at each other for a moment, then he wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her in. She put her arms around his neck, and they swayed to the music. After a little while, they had come so close together that their chests were pressed up against one another's. She dared herself to put her head on his shoulder, and when she did that, he rested his chin on the top of her head. They were so close together that they could feel each other's heart beats, both of which were beating very fast. They didn't even know it when the song ended. They had stayed in their close positions until they heard the screaming from people around them, meaning a fast song came up again.
"Do you want to get some air?" he asked her when they pulled apart.
"Sure."
They walked out and into the courtyard. They were very quiet. Loren tried speaking first, "So you're not as bad a dancer as you let on."
"Well, don't tell anyone this because I will deny it, but I may have actually practiced."
"Oh really? You just danced all around your dormitory alone?"
"Not alone." Loren's stomach tightened. "Neville helped." Loren's stomach relaxed and she started laughing. Seamus rolled his eyes, and without her realizing, he stopped as she continued on. Suddenly, she felt something very cold hit her back. She let out a slight scream and whipped around. She saw Seamus laughing at her. "You little prat!" She picked up a snowball as well and threw it back at him. It hit him in his chest. "HA!" she exclaimed. They very quickly got into a heated snowball fight. Snow was being whipped back and forth at high speeds between the two of them. It only stopped when Seamus threw one and it hit Loren in the stomach, making her fall to the ground.
"Loren!" he exclaimed running over to her. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Help me up." He put his hand out and she took it. But before he could pull her up, she pulled him down to her and the two were again fighting with snow; trying to shove it in each other's faces and get it in the other's hair. They took a break to catch their breath from laughing so hard. He was hovering over her, with his hands on the outsides of her shoulders. They stared at each other and smiled. They quickly got up though when they heard voices of people coming their way. They quickly ran back into the castle to the corridor outside the Great Hall. They went a little ways down and sat on a window ledge.
"That was close," he commented.
"No kidding." They looked to each other and started laughing. "This has been so much fun tonight, Seamus. I'm so glad you asked me."
"Me too. You remember when Neville was asking me if I was going to invite someone?"
"Yeah."
"Well...well, I want to tell you that that someone was, um...never mind."
"No! You can't do that! Now you have to tell me!"
"No way! It's too embarrassing. You'll just laugh at me."
"I won't, I promise! Now tell me!" She put her hand down, expecting to touch the bench they were on, but instead it landed on top of his hand. They looked down at their hands and then back up at each other. Neither said anything, their eyes locked on each other. Seamus timidly lifted his hand and gently placed it on her cheek. They had started to lean in and were only centimeters apart when they pulled back suddenly. They heard a girl yelling, "Ron you ruin everything!"
"That's Hermione," Loren said. They looked at each other, both knowing what had just almost happened, then Loren broke the gaze by standing up and going to Hermione. Seamus followed. They found her sitting on the steps outside the Great Hall hugging her knees and crying.
"Hermione?" Loren said quietly, sitting beside her. "What's wrong?"
"It's all his fault!" she cried. "He ruined it! If he had just..." she trailed off and started crying again.
Loren looked to Seamus and said, "I've got her. You should head back to your dormitory. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Oh, um, alright then." He went up the stairs, stopped to look back at her, then walked off.
Here's a pic of Loren's dress in case you are interested: images/Two%20Straps%20Fitted%20Bodice%20V%20Back%20Light%20Pink%20Applique%20Prom%
