"Why do they have to travel in packs? And how are you supposed to get one on their own to ask them?" Harry asked as we trudged through the snow. Professor McGonagall had informed the fourth years and above about the Yule Ball, to take place on Christmas Eve (go figure) and Harry had to have a partner to open the Ball with. Ron shrugged at Harry's question. "Anne, tell me please! Why do girls travel in packs?" he nudged me out of my trance. A group of Ravenclaw girls passed us, giggling.
"I don't travel in a pack." Um hello? I'm on my own right now! I hinted. "Mostly." Bella, Ginny, and I didn't really constitute a 'pack'; you'd need at least four for that, thank you.
"You still don't have to start the dancing." Harry snapped bitterly. Ron focused on a pair of Beaubatons girls, trying not to laugh.
"I'm not even aloud to go. It's fourth years and up remember?" We entered the library for what the teachers called 'study hall' but was reffered to as 'think of something to do to get out of fill in the blank' time. Today, the blank was filled with Harry and Ron finding dance partners. Hermione and I sat scratching notes into the notebooks we were filling in for Snape, who was hovering near the front of the room. Fred and George sat a ways down near Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell, the other two Chasers on the Gryffindor team. Fred passed a note to Ron; I read it upside-down. 'Get a move on or all the good ones will have gone.' Ron threw the note back with a sour look on his face.
"Who are you going with then?" Fred held up a finger, crumpled the paper and threw it at Angelina. She turned, looking rather furious if I might add. Clearly annoyed, she mouthed, "What?"
"Will you" Fred pointed at her. "go to the ball" he mimed dancing. "with me?" finally he pointed to hiself. Angelina smiled and shook her head yes. Fred gave her a thumbs up.
"Oy, Hermione." she tore her eyes away from the book to look at Ron. "You're a girl."
"Well spotted." she snapped acidly. Snape strode up behind them. He whacked them each on the head with a notebook before walking away.
"Come on. It's one thing for a bloke to show up alone, for a girl it's just sad." Hermione looked up again. Her face was red with anger, or embarassment, I couldn't tell which. She shook her head slightly at me. Apparently I was not to tell them about her date.
"I won't be going alone because believe it or not, someone's asked me." Hermione hissed furiously. She snatched her book up from the table and stormed over to where Snape was now hovering near the table full of Hufflepuffs. Handing him the notes, Hermione turned on her heel and came back to our table. "And I said yes." cramming the rest of her things into her bag she fled presumably back to Gryffindor tower. Harry turned to me with a raised eyebrow.
"She's lying right?" Ron asked Harry, who shrugged, and then turned to me. "She's lying right?" I shrugged. "Alright, we've just got to grit our teeth and do it. Tonight when we get back to the common room, we'll both have partners." Snape stopped behind them, pulling back his sleeves a little. I motioned furiously at them to stop talking, they didn't see me. "Agreed?" Harry nodded. Snape banged their heads together and stalked off. "Thanks for the warning on that one." Ron snapped bitterly. His face turned cold as someone stopped behind me. "What do you want?" I figured he was counting everyone as Hermione's possible date.
"I was just going to ask Andi for some help on the Animagus essay." Austin Christener stood behind me. He was a fourth year Chaser on the Ravenclaw House team. Ron eyed his blue tie.
"Aren't Raveclaws supposed to be smart. Besides, isn't she a year younger than you?" Austin scramled for an answer. I shot Ron a dirty look as I got up from the table.
"I'm sorry about Ron. He's going through a--tramatic-- moment." Austin pulled out a chair for me. "I didn't know anything about an essay on Animagi. I usually check Harry's essays." I added at his questionable glance. "What do--"
"Doyouwannagototheballwithme?" he rushed out. I felt eyes boring holes into my back.
"Sorry?" a few of his friends looked up. Some of the girls disgruntled.
"Will you go to the ball with me?" he repeated at an understandable speed. One of the girls frowned and bent her head low over her book. I swear she was crying.
"Oh." let's see: stay cooped up in my room for the night or go to the ball and watch Harry be madly jealous? Rephrase: stay in my room or go to the ball and tell myself he's madly jealous. "Sure. Yeah I'd love to." I stood up quickly. I needed to see Bella. "You may want to check the Animagus spell by the way. It's Animagious and then the latin name of the animal you want to chang into." not that I'd ever had to use that spell. I was just born with two wierd talents: changing my appearence and changing into a dog. Austin smiled as I headed back to my table. "You have essays on Animagi?" I held my hand out to Harry. He placed a parchment in my hand.
"Andi, I just had and idea." Ron said serenly.
"And you don't get those too often. Do you need to see Madam Pomphrey for the pain?" he ignored me completley.
"You could go with Harry. It's not like I need a partner but Harry'd look kinda funny dancing alone." Way. To. Be. Ron. Give me a life altering suggestion after I make the decision. Nice. "I-I-I can't. I've got a date already." Harry's head snapped up. Would my evil plan really work? He had a sour look on his face. It was just like magic. (No pun intended. Honestly.)
"Is it that kid that was just over here?" I shrugged. "Who's Hermione going with?" it had to come up sooner or later. Another shrug. "Thanks for your help?"
As the ball grew closer, rumors flew around the school, such as: Dumbledore had ordered a hundred barrels of Madam Rosmerta's finest mead or that he had booked the Wierd Sisters, a wizarding band that everyone seemed to know. The number of weeks of days filled in for the usual greeting. Finally the day arrived, celebrated by a huge snowball fight on the grounds between Harry, Ron, and I against Fred, George, and Lee Jordan. Hermione sat on the side lines watching and reading. She was my clock: when it had come down to four hours until the ball, Hermione stood to go back inside to get ready. I threw one last ball of magically compressed snow (which landed between Fred's eyes) and hurried off to join her. "WHY DO YOU NEED FOUR HOURS?" Harry called after us. I turned and waved. Running as much as we could through the deep snow, we finally ended in the fourth year dorm. I had laid all of my stuff out along side Hermione's. I rushed off to take a quick bath and was stopped on my way out my Moaning Myrtle. I shrieked and slipped on the wet floor. She cackled madly. Bella was talking to Hermione when I got back.
"Why is your robe all wet?" Bella asked when I entered wetter than I intended.
"Moaning Myrtle." was all I said. "I still don't think she's quite forgiven us for taking the Polyjuice Potion in her bathroom." though she'd enjoyed Hermione's transformation into a cat, Myrtle was displeased that Harry had not died in the Chamer of Secrets. I threw on a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top and set to work on Hermione's bushy hair. An hour later along with half a bottle of Sleek Easy soultion, her hair was smoothed back into a twisted bun. A single lock was curled and hung down from the bun. By that time, my hair was nearly dry, with out the use of magic. "What to do? What to do?" I asked no one in particular, brushing out my matted hair. Bella snatched the brush with a mad look in her eyes.
"I need your hair to be about a foot longer." I screwed up my face and my hair grew. "And this is why I love you hair." my hair was twirled and pinned until it ran completely around the back of my head like a halo. Bella was pinning small pale yellow rose buds into the twist. One hour left. We heard the guys stomping up to their dorms. I wondered who had won the snowball fight after I had left. Most likely not us.
"Ta da." Hermione said spinning around. Her periwinkle dress reached the floor. The floaty skirt swished as she twirled, reminding me how Susana and I must have looked when we would play dress up. Only better. She looked at the clock perched on her nightstand. Forty-five minutes. "I'd better go. The chamions and their dates have to be early." I'm not sure but I don't think they had to be there that much early. I could be wrong though. She dashed through the door, skirt flying out. I pulled my dress on. It was a satin pale green, the kind where you look twice to make sure it wasn't white. The high waist was a white ribbon that tied in the back. The only way the hem of the dress wouldn't scrape along the floor was the clear strappy high heels I was currently pulling on.
"Get!" Bella finally shouted at me. The clock read 7:55. "Cinderella, your ball starts in five minutes!" I swatted at her as I headed for the door. "And don't forget: be back by midnight or you will turn into a pumpkin or something. Don't lose your shoe either!" I reached the top of the staris that led to the Great Hall and stopped. Peeking around the corner, I saw Harry and Parvati Patil standing at the bottom. Harry was watching Cho Chang and Cedric Diggory, the other Hogwarts champion. Parvati gasped as I came around the corner.
--
"She looks beautiful." she murmered. Harry nodded, still watching Cho. When Parvati didn't reply, he turned. Anne stood at the top of the stairs in her green dress. The roots of her hair were threatening purple: the color of her nervousness. She smiled at someone behind Harry. He couldn't turn, he was rooted to the spot. The someone was now beside him. Only when she had reached the bottom stair, did Harry finally get a good look at Anne's date. It was in fact the same Ravenclaw boy who had pulled her away that day in the library. Austin something or other. He didn't really care, he just wanted to smash his face in. No hard feelings though. Anne seemed to finally notice him for the first time and gave a dazzling smile as she and Austin passed into the Great Hall. MCGonagall ushered him and Parvati over to where the other champions stood. The strange girl who had come in with Krum turned to face him.
"Hi Harry!" it was Hermione. He was sure his jaw had gone through the floor this time. McGonagall was scurrying about ordering them into a line. It was going to be a long night. Harry was sure of it. Once the last of the students had entered the Great Hall, McGonagall waved Fleur and Roger Davies in, follwed by Hermione and Krum, Cedric and Cho, and finally, Harry and Parvati. Harry spotted Anne and Ron near the front of the crowd. The four champions stopped on the dance floor; there was a larger-than-necessay empty space as if the dancing was repelling the other students who weren't forced out there.
"Take my waist." Parvati hissed at Harry as the Weird Sisters struck up a mournful tune. They danced clumsily, Parvati leading. Harry relaxed a little when more of the students and teachers filled the floor. The song ended and was immediately follwed by a much more up beat song. "But I like this song." Parvati complained when Harry made a break for an empty table. Ron slouched to the chair next to Harry; Parvati and Padma sat on either side of their dates casting each other dark looks.
"Ruddy pumpkin head." Ron mumbled. His eye was trained on Hermione and Krum. Harry's attention flickered between Cho and Cedric and Anne and Austin.
"I don't think it was the books that had him going for the libray." was his dark reply. Parvati and Padma exchanged pitiful glances before a boy from Durmdtrang approached Parvati.
"May I have your arm?" he asked making a slight bow and extending his hand. Harry didn't notice or care.
"Arm, leg, I'm yours." Padma sighed with displeasure as her sister left. Once again, the song came to an end. Hermione and Krum appeared next to Harry and Ron's table. Ron sat up from his slouch a little, hopes rising. He slupmed back down when Krum kissed Hermione's hand and left to get drinks.
"Hot isn't it?" she asked, blushing a deep shade of maroon as she took Parvati's empty seat. Ron glared at her while Harry stared straight ahead, hoping it would do some good. Ron gave a grunt and Hermione continued. "Viktor's gone to go and get drinks, would you like to join us?" Ron grumbled something nasty. "What's got your wand in a knot?" she demanded finally.
"You're fraternizing with the enemy." he snapped. Hermione repeated him dully. "He's a Durmstang, competing against Harry." Harry half turned his head upon hearing his name, attention still focused on Anne.
"The enemy? Who was it wanting his autograph? Besides, the whole point of the tournament is international... magical... cooperation. To make friends." Hermione was glancing nervously around the Great Hall.
"Yeah? Well, I think he's got a bit more than friendship on his mind." Ron snarled. Hermione shot out of her chair, startling Padma. She turned to leave. Throwing Harry a completley missed glare, she opened her mouth to retort, no words came out. Shutting her mouth, Hermione stormed away from them.
"Are you going to ask me to dance or not?" Padma asked after a few minutes. Ron grunted what sounded like a 'no' and Padma swept off to join her sister, the Durmstrang boy and his friend. They were both silent for a long strech of time, both glaring at thier respective girls.
"Ron, I don't have a problem with Hermione coming with Krum." Harry mumbled. Rone turned to him nastily.
"Oh yeah? Well, I don't have a problem with Andi coming with Austin."
--
The ball was growing to close as I wandered out the doors. Snow was falling gently. Harry was suddenly beind me. "So." Oh, geez. I'm going to get lectured. "He's a bit old for you don't you think?" he shot out. "Don't you?"
"What?" I screeched back. "What? So-so that's what you think?" I turned back towards the doors. He gave a nervous nod. "I would bet you anything--anything!-- that you wouldn't have the slightest complaint if I was here with you." My face burned red. I stared horrified at the snowy ground. The few wisps of hair that had epcaped were bright red. "Never mind that!" I took a shaky breath. "Off to bed." He followed my pointed finger into the castle and up the stairs.
"They get scary when they get older." Ron murmmered to Harry when he met him on the stairs. Hermione was in tears at the bottom. She screamed at him and they scampered up the stairs. I sank onto a step, pulling off my shoes.
--
A/N- Seeing as I probably did a really bad job at describing Anne's hair: if you've ever seen the movie(or pictures from it) The Other Boleyn Girl, her hair was like Mary's at the first ball when she came to court. Also, I don't own any of the characters except for Anne and Susana. Sorry it took so long to update!