The Yule Ball pt. 2

Karen, with her hand clutching the crook of Fred's elbow, followed her laughing sister through the halls further from her room and closer to the Great Hall. Up until this point, all Karen had thought about was looking nice and actually getting to go to a party, but she had never really thought about everything that was involved with an event this large. She hadn't thought about how many people would be looking at her and talking about how she looked. She had never been one for putting herself in the limelight; she didn't want to think about what people would say about her if she made a false move tonight, let alone what Fred would think if she embarrassed him. Some of what she had been thinking must have shown in the form of her hand shaking because at the moment, Fred placed his free hand over hers and squeezed gently.

"You alright?" he asked so his brother and Lindsay couldn't hear. "You look ready to bolt on me. It's going to be ok, you know."

"I'm just a bit nervous," Karen answered. "I've never done anything like this before; I really don't know what to do. I don't want to embarrass you."

Fred laughed and tightened his grip on her hand. "You aren't going to embarrass me. Why would you even think like that? This is supposed to be fun; just relax and enjoy yourself. Oh, and if you're worried about how you look…don't. You are the most beautiful girl in the whole world, and tonight is your chance to show the world what I get to see every single day."

Karen felt her face flush, and a new confidence swept her body. As the pair turned the corner, they could clearly see the multitude of couples that were currently milling about the Entrance Hall. She felt Fred squeeze her hand again just before they descended the stairs into the crowd.

"Karen and Fred, there you are!" Alicia cried and hurried over to them. "You both remember John, don't you? He's Oliver's cousin."

Fred and John began a conversation about how Oliver was doing with quidditch, and Alicia pulled Karen slightly off to the side. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm alright," Karen replied with a smile. "Just a bit anxious, I think. I don't want to do anything wrong."

"Karen, it's a party; there are no rights and wrongs! Oh, yes, John; I'm coming now." She shot a wink at Karen just before she slid off to her date, and Karen did the same.

"We should probably be heading in now," Fred said, smiling down at her. "If I'm right, George and Lindsay will be in there already."

"We eat dinner first, right?" Karen asked as they headed towards the doors.

"Yep," Fred replied.

"Oy you two: over here!" George called through the crowd. "Come on, let's go in already."

The four walked into the Great Hall together; Karen and Lindsay gasped at the sight before them while Fred and George both cried, "Wicked!" again. The Great Hall had been turned into a winter wonderland hung with icicles and holly. Instead of the four long house tables, many smaller tables were set up across the floor while there was a single long table set for the teachers, visitors from the Ministry, and the champions. "Of course: there's dear old Percy," Fred groaned, looking up at the long table.

"What's he doing here?" George asked in disgust.

"Oh be nice, you two," Lindsay chided gently. "Tonight isn't about him, so let him feel important."

"If you say so, love," George sighed.

"You're sure we can't just pull one tiny little-" Fred began.

"No!" Lindsay and Karen cried together.

Their group sat down at a table near what would be the dance floor and enjoyed a very nice dinner together. As the meal wore on, however, Lindsay noticed that George's humor became more and more forced. She finally put a hand on his knee under the table and whispered in his ear, "Are you alright? You seem a bit tense."

"I'm alright," he said with a small smile.

"Please don't worry about that dance, George. You aren't going to embarrass me because I could never be embarrassed to be with you; I love you."

"Thanks, Lin."

At that moment, Dumbledore stood up and gestured for all the others to do the same. He waved his wand, and all the tables flew back against the walls to clear the dance floor. The four champions and their partners stood and came to the floor. The band for the evening, The Weird Sisters, came to their place and began to play. Everyone watched as the champions danced then after a few moments, Dumbledore pulled McGonagall out onto the floor, signaling that everyone else was allowed to join as well. Karen stood beside Fred with her arm once again linked with his. As each moment crept by, Karen suddenly became more and more nervous that this would be the moment Fred chose to pull her out onto the floor. Suddenly, she felt Fred tug slightly and looked up to see him smiling at her. "You ready?" he asked.

"Do we have to do this?" she asked; her nerves evident in her tone.

"Yes," Fred replied as though it was obvious. "Just relax and trust me, ok? Come on." He pulled her onto the floor, and, as one of the first student couples out there, Karen could feel hundreds of eyes on her and blushed as Fred spun her to face him. "Forget about all of them," he whispered. "I'm the only one you have to worry about impressing, and you always manage to do that. Enjoy yourself, and I'll be happy."

Taking a deep breath, Karen began to dance with Fred just as she had practiced. It was such a wonderful feeling, really: dancing in the center of attention. She could hear the whispers when she and Fred got close to the crowd, but she ignored them not caring if they were positive or negative. This was her moment to be the princess, the one that was being talked about like she mattered, and she felt more beautiful than she ever had before. All too soon, other couples had taken the floor, but the feeling stayed with her. She knew it was the way Fred was looking at her: like she was some sort of angel sent to Earth. No one had ever looked at her like that before. When the song ended, Fred pulled her close to him and whispered in her ear, "Did I mention how beautiful you are tonight?"

"Yes you did," Karen whispered back, blushing again.

"Well, I'm going to say it again then; you're beautiful, Karen. Don't ever doubt that, ok?"

"I'll try," Karen smiled just before their lips met gently.

Suddenly, the volume in the room went up to about ten times what it had been because the Weird Sisters began one of their up-beat numbers causing a majority of the students to begin screaming. Fred beamed and seized Karen's hand again. "Come on! Now it's time for me to show you how to have a good time!"

Karen allowed herself to be dragged into the middle of a mob of people in the center of the dance floor where there was barely room to move your arms let alone much else. Nonetheless, Fred pulled her in deeper and began coaxing her to dance. "I don't know what to do!" she yelled over the music.

"You don't have to!" Fred yelled back. "For once in your life, don't think!"

At first, Karen felt extremely stupid simply doing whatever came to mind and wouldn't take up too much room, but she quickly learned that everyone else was doing pretty much the same thing, and all her inhibitions left her. By the end of the first song, she was just as comfortable on the dance floor as many of her peers. She could easily see that this was yet another area where Fred thrived. He had no problems throwing all caution to the winds and doing whatever he wanted. A sense of pride welled up inside her that he was hers; it wasn't the first time she had felt this way, but it still overwhelmed her.

Several songs passed before Fred finally pulled her out of the mob. On their way back to a table in the corner, he looked down and smiled. "You looked about ready to drop," he explained. "I figured you might want some air."

"Thank you!" Karen exclaimed, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "I didn't even realize how tired I was; I was having so much fun."

"That's what I like to hear," Fred smiled as he pulled out a chair for her. "I could do with a butterbeer: want one?"

"Yes please," Karen panted, fanning herself with her hand.

"Be back in a minute. Don't run off with anyone while I'm gone," he said planting a swift kiss on her cheek before disappearing into the crowd.

Karen took this opportunity to observe some of her fellow students. She quickly noted Harry and Ron sitting at a table with their dates looking none too happy about their current situation. She also saw Katie and Alicia on the edge of the mob with their dates having a grand old time. It was only then that she thought to look for Angelina because she wasn't with her two best friends, which was very odd. After a moment of searching, Karen found Angelina sitting alone at a table near the dance floor with a look of false enjoyment. Karen knew that look all too well and couldn't resist the wave of pity that came over her. Angelina may have been the source of her jealousy once, but no one deserved to feel that miserable. She was about to go over and say something to her when Fred returned with their drinks.

"Here we are!" he said, setting the drinks on the table and moving to sit down across from her. "You alright: you look like you have something on your mind."

"No, I'm fine; thanks Fred," Karen lied as she turned her attention back to her boyfriend. "Did you see your brother while you were gone?"

"You mean George? Nah, I'm pretty sure I won't see him again until this thing's over; he and Lindsay disappeared into that crowd ages ago, and I really don't fancy trying to pull him out."

"Oh," Karen said, taking a drink of butterbeer. "Does it bother you?"

"Being away from him for hours at a time you mean? Not really: not so long as I know we're in the same area anyway. We really are close, you know; it's not just some act we put on to get attention."

"You don't have to explain that to me," Karen laughed. "Lindsay and I are the same way. Plus, no one knows you better than we do; I think we'd know if it was all an act at this point. Sometimes I worry though. I don't want to make you choose between him and me."

"You don't, I promise. It can seem like that sometimes, but we're just as close as we always were. Mum loves it, you know. George and me having girls."

"Well that was random," Karen laughed. "But I guess I'm used to that by now. What did she say?"

"She said that she thought you two might do us some good: teach us manners and such, I guess," Fred made a face at the idea.

"Doesn't she know how impossible that is?" Karen teased. "Besides, I wouldn't be dating you if you didn't have manners already. I'm not out to change you, Fred. I hate the girls who date a boy then spend all their time trying to 'make them better'. If you date someone, it should mean that you love them for who they are, not who you think you can turn them into."

"Good to know, and thanks," Fred grinned. "Well, you feel ready to get back into it?"

"Why not?" Karen smiled, finishing off her butterbeer. "Could we maybe not go so far into the mob this time?"

"We can try, but no promises," Fred laughed, pulling her up and back to the floor.

The next few hours passed in a daze of fast dances where Karen found herself more relaxed than she'd ever been and slow dances where Fred would pull her close and gently sway back and forth. Around eleven, she and Fred took another drink break, and while Fred was off getting the drinks, Karen got a chance to spy on Angelina again. She hadn't been able to forget the image of Angelina sitting all alone, and the image hadn't changed. Karen wondered if she had been out of her seat once that night; it certainly didn't look like it. She knew it was her fault Angelina was upset. Everyone knew that Angelina still had a crush on Fred, and that she had turned down every invite to the ball because she hadn't been able to shake it. Karen remembered all too well what it felt like to watch the person she loved with someone else and hated to be the cause of the same feeling in someone else. Suddenly, she had an idea, but she wished she had Lindsay to bounce it off of; Lindsay was the smarter one when it came to emotional stuff. She bit her lip; she wondered if Fred would go for the idea, but she decided that she had to try.

"K, are you alright? Every time I leave you, you get this look. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing with me…it…well, it's Angelina."

"What about her?" Fred asked sharply. "Has she been saying something to you tonight?"

"Oh my gosh, Fred, no: it's nothing like that!" Karen exclaimed. "I just can't help but notice; she looks so sad, doesn't she?"

Fred glanced over his shoulder at the table Karen was looking at and had to concede that she had a point. "Yeah she does, but it's her own fault. George said a dozen people asked to come with her, and she told them all no."

"She only told them all no because she has a crush on someone else who didn't ask her."

"Oh yeah: who's that?" Fred asked with disinterest.

"Come on Fred, it's you. She wanted to come with you, and she's upset because you're here with me."

"Why do you care? It was only a few months ago that she was making you feel the same way. Don't most girls like the revenge?"

"Not me. I hated the way that I felt watching her with you; I wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone…it's the worst feeling in the world. I never wanted to be the cause of pain like that, but tonight I am."

"There's nothing you can do about it, K. You can't make her be happy or enjoy herself," Fred tried to console her. "What could you do; break up with me just to make her happy?"

"Well, I wouldn't quite go that far," Karen admitted. "But there is one thing I can do that I wish someone would've done for me. It involves you, though, so you have to be willing to help me."

"What is going on in that devilish mind of yours?" Fred asked with a smile.

Karen bent and whispered her plan into Fred's ear then pulled back to observe his reaction. "You wouldn't mind me doing that?" he asked in disbelief.

"It's purely platonic, and I know that. I trust you, Fred. Besides, it will make her night, and I just want to see her happy once tonight. Will you do it?"

"I don't see any reason not to, as long as you're sure it won't bother you."

"I'm sure," Karen smiled. "Now, I have to go put a suggestion in for you, and then I'll get out of your way."

After a few minutes, the Weird Sisters began a slower song more about friendship than love, and Karen stood against a wall to watch her plan go into action. She watched as Fred walked over to Angelina and bent down to talk to her. A moment later, Angelina accepted the hand Fred was offering, and the pair moved to the dance floor. Karen watched as the pair danced gently to the song and was amazed that she didn't feel any jealously despite what she had assured Fred. She was sure that this would make Angelina happy and maybe even allow her to move on. When the song ended, she saw Fred and Angelina hug before Angelina pulled Fred over to where she was standing.

"Thank you so much, Karen," Angelina whispered to her. "I don't know why you would do something like that for me, but I really appreciate it. We've fixed our friendship, and he's told me that I have to find someone who can care about me the way I deserve. I'm glad you already have, and I hope to be as happy as you are someday. Now, I think that this belongs to you." She guided Fred's hand back into Karen's, smiled at the both of them, then hurried over to Katie and Alicia.

"Thank you, Fred," Karen smiled.

"No, K: thank you," Fred replied, pulling her into a hug. "I have her back as a friend, and that means a lot to me. I love you."

"I love you too," Karen replied, sighing happily.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" a voice suddenly rang out, and Karen and Fred looked up to see Dumbledore standing there. "I hope you have all thoroughly enjoyed this evening, and we should all give a round of applause for our outstanding band: the Weird Sisters!" The room erupted in cheers and clapping which lasted for several moments. "Now, it's getting close to midnight, but I think we have time for one more number to close out the evening properly. Everyone grab that someone special and get ready. I would like to close by wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a good night!" More applause followed Dumbledore's speech as everyone made their ways back to their partners for the last dance.

"Shall we?" Fred asked, gesturing towards the floor.

"I would love to," Karen replied with a smile.

Fred pulled her back onto the floor and pulled her close as the song began to play. "Remember this song, K."

"Why?"

"I just have a feeling that we might be needing it again. This song really represents us, don't you think?"

Karen paused a moment and listened to the words.

Nothing's gonna change my love for you

You oughta know by now how much I love you

The world may change my whole life thru

But nothing's gonna change my love for you!

"I guess it does," Karen sighed, moving closer to Fred and holding him tighter. "I really like it, too."

"Like I said, I just have a feeling…" Fred trailed off and tightened his grip on her as the song continued.

Karen wished that song could've gone on forever. She was so happy in that moment: crushed against Fred's body and swaying gently to a song that seemed to express everything she had ever wanted to say to him. Sadly, the song did end, and the room applauded loudly then started to clear out. Fred wrapped his arm around her waist and kept her glued to his side as they moved with the crowd back into the main hall. Karen made to follow the crowd upstairs, but Fred held her back.

"I thought we could go for a walk outside just until the crowd clears out a bit," he said with a smile. "Come on."

Karen put her arm around his back and walked with him outside into the night air. It was cold against her bare skin but moving helped. Fred guided her out into a rose garden that had been set up just for tonight. They moved through the garden until they found a quiet spot away from any prying eyes and sat down on a bench. Now that they had stopped moving, the cold began to really get to Karen, and she shivered.

"Oh I'm so sorry, K! I should've thought about that; you must be freezing." He pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders then rubbed them for a moment.

"It's alright, Fred. I'm alright," Karen smiled, pulling his jacket closer to her skin. She inhaled deeply; Fred's cologne was simply intoxicating. "I really had a wonderful time tonight," she whispered.

"Did you? I'm really glad," he beamed at her. "I know this isn't really your thing, but I tried."

Karen laughed. "Fred, you spoiled me rotten! I felt like a princess tonight; no one's ever made me feel like that before."

"You are a princess, Karen. You're my princess. I love you so much; I wish I had more to give you. Sometimes I wonder why you're still with me; you deserve so much better than me." Fred turned from her and lowered his head.

Karen gently cupped his chin in her hand and turned him to face her again. "Frederick Gideon Weasley, I want you to listen very carefully to me. You are everything I have ever wanted, and I am the luckiest girl in the world to be the one you love. The only thing I want in the world, you've already given me; I don't need anything else. Do you understand me?"

Fred nodded and smiled. "I love you, Karen Bennet, remember that," he said, gently fingering the necklace he had given her that morning.

"I love you too, Fred," Karen whispered. She kissed him lightly on the lips. "Merry Christmas, darling."

"Merry Christmas, baby," Fred replied before kissing her much more deeply.

Karen responded to the kiss and wrapped her arms around Fred's neck, gently tangling her fingers in his hair. When they finally pulled away, she rested her cheek against his shoulder and gazed up at the stars with tears in her eyes. This had been the best night of her life, let alone the best Christmas. Fred had made her life so wonderful and happy that she couldn't imagine being without him. She wondered what she possibly could have done to deserve how happy she was in that moment, but she prayed that it would last. Unbidden, thoughts of her father and the giant secret she was keeping from the boy next to her entered her mind, and she was half tempted to tell Fred the truth, but she couldn't find it in herself to spoil the night. She was scared about what might happen, especially if the signs boded true; however, no matter what happened next, she knew Fred would be beside her, and that she would always have the memories of tonight: the best night of her life.

Hope you all enjoyed that! If you're interested, the song that they danced to at the end was Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You by George Benson. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can; it's about to get very interesting. Please review!