The day of the Christmas dance got sooner and sooner, and still, Van and Steph didn't manage to find a date yet. Steph new who she wanted to go with, but, she didn't have the guts to ask. Harry and Hermione decided to go together.

"Common Steph! Ask him, you know you want to! And beside, he likes you too, so he wont say no!" Van said to Steph as they got their Christmas present wrapped. "Turn around, I have to wrap yours." She added.

"Ok." She turned around. "I know I should ask, but, its… Its not something I do everyday, it…its not me!" She laughed.

"Well, you have to change!"

"Ok, look, if he doesn't ask me tomorrow, I'll ask him!"

"Good, but you know, the sooner the better, what if an other girl ask him before you?"

Steph took her hand and did the motion of cutting someone's head off.

"Ok," Van said, "Clear enough…"

The next day passed by quickly, and still, no sign of Ron. Finally, Steph had enough and decided to go and ask him. She recruited all he courage, and headed out of the common room to find Ron. She found him soon enough. As she turned the corner, she spotted him talking to Pavartie. Steph hid behind a statue and listened.

"Ron do you want to go the dance with me?" Asked Parvartie. Steph's heart started to beat faster. Right at the moment Ron was going to answer, Peeves and Sir Nicolas entered the corridor in front of Steph, fighting loudly. She could not hear the rest of the conversation. As the two ghosts left trough the other was, she could make out the end of Ron and Parvartie's chat.

"Thank you so much Ron! I'm so happy!" She said.

"No trouble, no one asked yet anyway." He answered.

Pain like Steph never felt shot thorough her heart. She got out and walked back to the common room, all hopes crushed.

"What's with the face Steph?" Ask Van as Steph entered the common room. She didn't answer, she just walked upstairs to her bed. Van got up and fallowed her. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Its over…Ron is going to the dance with Parvartie…"

"WHAT!?"

"I…I heard it when I went to ask Ron…" Steph looked at Van with watery eyes. "You were right…"

"Oh Steph…I'm so sorry… You…You could go with Seamus?"

"No, I'm not going anymore. I'm going to return the dress next visit to Hogsmade…"

"Steph!"

"Leave me alone…"

With that, Van left with one idea in mind, she was going to go and have a little talk with Ron…

Steph left the common room later that night to go eat, she saw that she was alone, and glad to. But just then, the boys dormitory door opened and Ron came out.

"Steph! I need to talk to you!" He exclaimed.

"Leave me alone." Steph said.

"No, its really important!" He jogged to catch up. "Look, I think there has been a misunderstanding." Steph stopped walking and turned around to face Ron.

"Like!?"

"I'm not going to the dance with Pavartie! I…I was kind of hoping…You would…You know…Ask me…" He flushed a bit. "Van told me what you heard."

"Your not…."

"No, she asked me, and I said…well, that I was already going with someone, so I told her that I'd ask Seamus for her, since nobody asked him."

"So… Who are you going with then, you said you were with someone!"

"Well…Do you want to go to the dance with me…" He asked hesitantly.

"…Of course!" Steph jumped and hugged Ron, but jumped back instantly. "Sorry…"

"Its…Its ok." He said, probably even more flushed than Steph. "You want to go eat I'm starving."

They both walked to the great hall, talking. Steph saw that Ron wasn't himself.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." He answered. They walked a bit more. Just before entering the corridor leading to the great hall, Ron stopped walking.

"Ron?" Steph asked.

"I have something to tell you…Well, more to ask you." He said, he sounded really not sure.

"Go on…" Steph said.

"Do…Are you…Doyouwannagooutwithme?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do…" He breathed deeply. "Do you want to… To go out with me?"

"Oh Ronald!" She smilled.

"Is… Is that a yes?"

"Yes!"

"Oh thank you!" He leaned forward to hug her. All the stress seemed to have left him. He didn't walk like a board anymore, and he was actually breathing now. As soon as Ron's arms wrapped around her…

"Well well!" A male's voiceexclaimed behind them. "Crabe, Goyle, come and look at this! I always new the Weasley were pathetic wizards, but, loving a muggle born?"

"Shut up Malfoy, If you want to insult Steph, you better not do it when I'm around!"

"Ha! And what are you going to do!?

Ron walked up to Malfoy and stopped right in from of him, threatening him with his eyes.

"I dare you…." Malfoy said.

BANG! Ron aimed a punch right at Draco's face, throwing him to the ground.

"I had it with you Malfoy, I had it with all of you! From now on, I swear I'm not going to let myself being pushed around!" Ron said, he turned around and left for the great hall, leaving a black eyed Malfoy behing him.

"God that guy has a hard head!" He exclaimed as they turned the corner were Malfoy could not hear them. Ron was massaging his hand.

"Wow! Ron, That was…I mean! WOW!" Steph said.

"I've had it with him!" He said.

Steph laughed "I wish that Draco's dad could have been there to see his son getting beat up by a Weasley" She said the last word exactly as Draco would of said it.

"That would have been brilliant!" Ron laughed.

They reached the great hall as Van and the other were leaving. She smiled as she saw them together. Steph wanted to say what just happened, but that would of lead to said that she was going out with Ron now, which she didn't want to say yet.

"So, Are you two going to the dance together?" She asked.

"Yep!" Steph said. Ron looked relieved that Steph didn't say more.

"Awwww!" She exclaimed, she jumped forward to hug Steph. But Steph was faster and dogged it, laughing.

As they all headed to a table Ron whispered to Steph.

"What would she of done if you would of told her that we are going out?"

"I prefer not to imagine…" Steph laughed, "With Van, you have to tell her a news like that when she's busy and not paying that much attention, or else, just by her squealing, the whole school would find out…"

Ron laughed.

"What are you saying back there?" Van asked.

"Nothing much, we were just comparing you to a guinea pig…" Steph said.

"That's mean, its not my fault!"

"So, its funny anyway!"

"Shut up!"

"Sqqeeeeeeeeeeek!" Steph mocked.

"That's not true!"

Ron laughed, Steph looked over at him and smiled.

"No…No way! STEPH! RON!" Van exclaimed over excitedly. For five minute, Van did those incomprehensive squeaks, and phrases. Both Steph and Ron just stood there looking at her.

"Told ya…" Steph said. They both couldn't take it anymore and laughed to whole way back to the common room.

--------

The day of the dance finally arrived. Van was so happy that she was almost hugging everyone she crossed, she even hugged Flitwick, which made her pretty embarrassed. Steph on the other hand was getting more and more nervous.

The minutes went by slowly, Van even had a fight with Lavander's clock… But eventually, the time arrived to get ready, Van ran to the common room to get Steph who was playing a game of wizard's chess with Ron and Harry.

"STEPH!" Van shouted.

"What!?"

"Time to get ready!!!!!!"

"Hein? There's still 2 hours and a half before the dance!"

"GET-OVER-HERE! NOW!!!!!!!!"

Steph looked over at the guys. "I have to go, or I'll loose my head….Ron, I don't think you want to dance with a headless girl…" And with that, she ran to the dormitory. As she walked in, she felt as if she entered a salon. Van had a shit load of makeup scattered everywhere.

"MAKEUP TIME!" Van exclaimed.

"no…NO…NO!!!!"

-----

Ron looked over at Harry, having heard Steph screaming he said.

"Bloody hell! The poor thing is going to die…"

"What do you mean?" Harry said.

"Lets just say that Steph really doesn't like makeup..." He laughed.

-----

"Steph, stop moving!" Van said. She turned to Hermione and said sarcastically, "can you bring the anesthetic material here please?"

"Ok, just a minute!" She answered

"What!" Steph panicked, obviously not hearing the sarcasm.

"Oh calm down, AND STOP MOVING! You'll loose an eye!"

Two hours, and seventeen minutes later, they were ready.

"Finally!" Steph huffed in pure relief, barging out of the dormitory. "OXIGEN! Oh…Hi Ron!"

"…" He was speechless.

Steph was wearing form fitting strapless dress. The color was as black as Harry's hair and when she moved it gave away a certain glow to it. The outline of the dress was crimson red, it sparkled in the flickering fire and the shall was the same color as the dress except it was made out of silk. Her hair was richly made up into a bun and soft long ringlets felt, outlining her face. Her makeup was light and looked natural.

Van stepped out of the girls dormitory and stopped beside Steph. She looked from Ron to Steph, wondering what was happening and something in her head clicked. They were having one of those speechless moment. She squealed mentally and cough to announced her presence.

"Oh, hey…Van…" Steph said blushing lightly. Van was wearing a halter dress. The collar was in 'V' shape and the color was a pearly scream. The corset was form fitting and the skirt was puffy, touching the floor gently.

Steph walked down the stairs as gracefully as she could, keeping on telling herself not to fall. Of course faith was against her and on the second step, she tripped on her own foot.

"Ahhhh!" she yelled out until someone caught her. She looked upwards and saw Ron staring back at her with worry. "I'm ok!" she said still in his arms. Van smiled happily, seeing her friend with her dream guy, like they never thought it could be possible.

Hermione finally came down, followed by Harry. Now that they were all ready, they made there way to the ballroom.