Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter Ten
The next morning, Jena woke up because of the light shining through the windows, brighter than usual. Odd - usually the curtains blocked it all out. It wasn't sunny light, but just a bright white light.
She realised she was in a strange position. She sat half sitting down, half laying, curled up in a strange sort of ball, using something warm and hard as her pillow, with another something warm around her shoulders like a blanket.
She opened her eyes to see that she sat on the sofa in the common room, along with Bill. She'd fallen asleep down there before sometimes, but it never stopped being strange. She sat up, and in doing so, woke up Bill, who yawned and stretched out his arms in front of him.
It took him a moment to realise where they were, and he sat up, rubbing at his forehead in an attempt to waken himself up. Jena also stretched her arms out as she sat up properly and ran a hand through her hair.
" Morning," Bill said, looking at her.
" Hey," she said with a slight smile.
They looked at each other and then both burst out laughing. They didn't even know what they were laughing at, but the sight of Jena with her hair all over the place and Bill with his eyes barely open was terribly amusing.
" How pathetic is it that I can't stay awake long enough to make it to my bedroom? " Jena said, shaking her head at herself.
" Very," Bill said, giving her a joking shove in the shoulder.
Jena stuck her tounge out and Bill reached over to mess her hair up. Jena laughed and tried to grab his wrists to stop him, and suddenly it was exactly like it had always been - messing about, getting nothing done, teasing each other.
Bill reached out and his arm moved too quick for Jena, messing her hair up until it covered her face. He pulled away and stood up with a satisfied smirk, and she shook her head at him.
" William Weasley, you're terrible," she said, pushing her hair away from her eyes as she also stood up, and mock-glaring at him.
"Jennifer Mason, you wouldn't have me any other way," he replied easily.
Jena shrugged, " I suppose. Now, if it's alright with you, can I go get dressed? "
" I suppose so," Bill said, wrinkling his nose in her direction, " who wants to hang around with you when you've been wearing the same smelly clothes for 24 hours? "
" So have you," she pointed out.
Bill shrugged," But I can pull it of. "
" You just keeping telling yourself that," Jena said with a smirk, before leaving him behind and heading up the stairs.
At breakfast, there was an announcement that the first lesson would be cancelled for fourth years and above, and they would go to a meeting with their head of house.
" What do you think it's about? " Lucy asked in excitement as they walked, though she threw a backwards glance to her Hufflepuff boyfriend, who was walking in the opposite direction.
" Maybe someone did something bad and we're all getting warned off," Daisy suggested.
" But why wouldn't they just tell us all in the same place then? " Jena asked, shaking her head, " and surely they'd tell everyone. This must be something different like ... well, I don't know what like, but something different. "
They walked into McGonagall's classroom, which she had drasticaly rearranged. The room looked bigger and the tables were pushed to the sides, forming two long benches down each side. Their head of house stood in the middle of the room and pointed to the edges of the room as she saw them.
" Boys over here please, girls on the other side," she commanded, " everyone take a seat. "
Jena sat between Lucy and Daisy, while Bill and Allan seperated from them and sat on the other side of the room. Everyone was confused but a little excited to find out what was going on.
" Now," Professor McGonagall said, clapping her hands together, " this year, Hogwarts has decided to hold a ball on Christmas Eve. "
There were groans, and also murmurs of excitment, from different people. Lucy nudged Jena in excitement while Daisy also looked quite pleased, though more nervous, since she had no-one to go with. Jena liked the idea of dancing and having fun with her friends though she wad less enthusiastic about the thought of getting a date. She didn't want to still be with Mark in a month's time.
The professor continued, " It's a new initative of the Headmaster's and he believes it will be an excellent opportunity for everyone to enjoy themselves. Christmas spirit, he calls it. I'm sure you're all aware that Christmas is a month away, so you have month to get your outfits, polish up your dancing skills and find yourself any dates you might require. "
" Bill," Lucy hissed in Jena's ear.
" Shut up," Jena said, rolling her eyes, though a smile crossed her face at the thought of dancing with Bill, maybe being on his arm all night. God, what a good night that would be.
" As this is a ball, you should all be dancing at some point," McGonagall said, " and I think now would be the perfect opportunity to practise these dancing skills. Your dances will be slow controlled waltzes. Girls should be elegant swans, ready to glide, while boys should be prowling lions, ready to take control. Everyone up! "
Some looked hesitant, while others got up right away. Jena was somewhere in the middle.
" Pair up! " Professor McGonagall called out, waving her hand, " get a partner, and start moving to the music. This ball will not be filled with lumbering idiots, so you will get your practise in now. You will dance like the respectable young witches and wizards that you are. Everyone pair up! "
People began looking for friends or boyfriends, and as Jena stood in the middle of the classroom, the first person her eyes landed on was Bill. He was already looking at her and she smiled.
He moved forwards, and neither of them thought much of it - they had to pick someone, so why not each other, for a bit of practise? After this morning, something seemed to spark them off into being just like they always were, and it seemed like everything was back to normal between them.
Bill stopped in front of her and she smiled up at him - tall, redhead, handsome. Messy hair, cheeky grin, rebel. She quite liked it. Jena smiled down at him - she was short, had recently developed all the right curves in all the right places, if he did say so himself, and was pretty. Prettie than she gave herself credit for. She had a smile he couldn't resist smiling back to, a pout he could never say no to, and a glare he was slightly scared of.
" May I have this dance? " Bill drawled, with a mock bow.
" Oh, you may," Jena laughed, holding out one hand to him.
Bill smiled and took hold of her hand, closing his own around it. He lifted their hands on the air and put his other hand on her waist, where it fitted against the curve of her body nicely. Jena put her free hand on his shoulder, wishing she was a little taller, and making a mental note to wear high heeled shoes for this ball thing, no matter who she was going with.
Bill started to move his feet easily, and Jena was nervous and tried to move around him, fitting in with wherever he went. It was difficult, and she found herself looking down at her feet, and frowning, This made her posture off, and she was leaning over to look at her feet, making her stumble a little.
" No, Miss Mason, no," Professor McGonagall said, swooping over to look at what was going on.
Jena blushed violently as she looked at Bill, feeling embarrassed that she couldn't dance properly, and she was making Bill look like an idiot, when actually, he was rather good.
" Just let Mr Weasley lead and you'll do fine," Professor McGonagall told Jena, " don't look down, just look up, be confident, back straight, head up, and trust your partner. "
As the professor walked away, Bill winked a Jena, " Trust your partner," he said.
Jena blushed a little, and then cursed at herself. She nodded silently at Bill, and he smiled at her.
He started to move slowly, pulling Jena around with him, steering her perfectly and moving them around with ease. Jena let him take charge and went along with whatever he did. He moved with a suprising grace and elegance and was good at what he was doing, because he was so confident.
Jena looked around the room to see how other couples were doing - some moved awkwardly and held each other at a distance quite far away, while some of the older students who were clearly boyfriend and girlfriend, moved quickly and passionately, as close together as possible. Bill and Jena were somewhere inbetween - they were comfortable with each other, and at the perfect distance so they were close enough to look like a couple of dancers, but not too close that it was awkward.
" Head up, trust your partner, Miss Mason," Bill said with a smirk, trying to do an impression of Professor McGonagall.
Jena's lips twitched upwards into a smile and she turned her head back towards Bill's face, locking eyes with him. Bill grinned and began to move them around quicker, his eyes never leaving hers.
They were now comfortable with each other and Bill tugged Jena a little closer. The warmth of her body against his felt perfect and he decided he didn't want this moment to end - if there was ever a chance to tell Jena how he felt about her, it was today. They'd been getting on very well today, and he decided he was going to do it. They hadn't gotten on like this in days - it really felt like they were back to normal.
Jena meanwhile, was hoping that Bill liked her as she wanted him to. She also decided that if he hadn't told her soon, how he felt, she was going to tell him instead.
When the music ended, Professor McGonagall insisted that they all swapped partners. Bill leaned down and pressed his lips against Jena's forehead lightly.
" See you soon sweetheart," he said with a cheeky grin before moving onto the nearest girl, though his eyes remained on Jena. She winked at him, before turning around and looking for another partner.
As they danced around the room with various partners, Jena found that none were as good a dancer as Bill. Or maybe somewhere, but it still didn't feel the same. Bill found that although many people could dance better than Jena, there was no-one who looked better in his arms and no-one else he wanted there.
When it came to swap again a few dances later, Jena turned around to be faced with Bill.
" She didn't say we had to dance with different people every single time," Bill shrugged.
" No," Jena agreed, one hand already reaching up to sit on his shoulder, " she didn't. "
They moved around again with the same ease, and Jena could think of nothing other than how she wanted to kiss Bill Weasley. She had enough self control not to throw herself at him, but she couldn't help wishing that he didn't have the same amount - that he'd just do it.
After that dance, Professor McGonagall stopped the music and clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. " Well, I'm glad to see that some of you have mastered the dancing and other ... still need practise. One month until Christmas Eve. You are dismissed - please go to your second lesson. "
Jena was still stood quite close to Bill, and he laid a hand on her back, guiding her towards the door.
" Well," he said, " I hope I've taught you some valuable dancing skills? "
Jena smiled, and the pair of them started down the corridor, towards the dungeons, for their Potions. Jena quite liked the actual lesson of Potions, but it was made pretty terrible by the greasy big-nosed bat who taught it, in her opinion.
She took a seat between Bill and Daisy in the dungeons, and soon into the lesson, they were busy brewing a tickling solution.
" Who do you think you'll go to the ball with? " Daisy sighed dreamily, looking at Jena as she imagined all the dancing, all the romance of the ball.
" I don't know," Jena shrugged, " I - "
" Why is your potion blue, Miss Mason, when it is supposed to be orange? " came a silky voice from behind her.
Jena turned to see Professor Snape standing behind her. The man could only be ten or so years older than she and her friends, she supposed, but he seemed much older.
" I ... I don't know, sir," Jena said, shaking her head.
" I do," Professor Snape said, " it's because you are too busy talking to get on with your work, yo foolish girl. This potion is now useless, and ten points from Gryffindor for talking and not working. "
Jena sighed as he walked away.
" Don't worry about him," Bill said, reaching out to touch Jena's shoulder lightly, " I think he's got some sort of gene which means he has to be awful to everyone. "
" Ten points from Gryffindor, Weasley," Snape called over his shoulder to Bill.
Jena rolled her eyes at Snape's back.
By the end of the day, things were so much back to normal between Jena and Bill that they both began to wonder if they'd imagined all the awkwardness between them.
After dinner that evening, Jena was the first of her friends to rise.
" I said I'd meet Mark," she said.
And all at once, Bill's expression clouded and he felt the intense jealousy rage within him, while Jena sighed a little and wondered how she could get rid of Mark - she didn't want to be with him for much longer.
" Are you going to be out long? " Daisy asked, " because you said we'd do that Herbology essay together, remember, and it's in for tomorrow. "
" And you've still got your Ancient Runes to do," Bill reminded her, when what he really wanted to do was grab her and tell her not to go off with vain, self-centered Chang.
" I know, I know," Jena nodded, " I don't really have any time to be out, so I'll just tell him I need to get back to the common room tonight. I don't think he'll mind if I cancel on him. It's not like we had anything special planned. "
Jena left her friends and met Mark in the entrance hall. She told him she had too much homework to do, and he had no objection since he had enough of his own.
" At least let me walk you to Gryffindor Tower, Jen," he said.
Jena agreed and the pair of them walked back towards the common room, speaking, as usual, very little. Jena was now sure that Mark had very little interest in her, and knew it wouldn't be much longer before they parted ways - Mark wasn't neccessarily bad, but he was vain and more interested in how many girls he could get, than anything else. Jena knew this, but didn't want to admit it.
At the portrait of the Fat Lady, Mark pulled Jena aside and pulled her close to him.
He kissed her in the same slightly forceful, deep way that he always did, and when they broke apart, Jena sat her friends approaching, coming up the stairs.
" See you around, Jen," Mark said, looking her up and down with an appreciative grin before walking off.
Jen nodded at him, and when he'd gone, Daisy and Bill were at her side. Bill looked at her with an expression that was severe annoyance and then walked off through the portrait hole. Daisy simply shrugged and walked through with Jena.
Jena threw her bag down on the sofa and sat down beside it, while Bill had flopped down into one of the armchairs, and Daisy laid on the floor in front of the fire, pulling her herbology book from her bag.
Bill wasn't smiling anymore, like he usually was, and Jena noticed the change at once. He'd been so cheery all day, and suddenly he was different, and she found herself growing fed up of it.
" Did Mark ask you to the ball? " Daisy asked.
Jena stopped when she realised he hadn't, " No," she said, " I suppose it didn't really occur to him. He might do soon though, I guess. "
Bill tutted.
" What's your problem? " Jena asked, looking across at him angrily.
" Excuse me? " Bill asked, looking up at her.
" You heard," Jena said, the annoyance building up inside her, " one minute you're my Bill - my best friend, and the next you're someone I don't even know. You're being moody and you're just ... look, if you've got a problem then tell me what it is! "
" You know what it is," Bill said, standing up and heading for the boys dorms, " It's Mark Chang. "
" Don't you walk away from me," Jena snapped, getting up and following him, " I want to know exactly what's wrong with you. "
Bill turned to face her, his face like thunder. " I've just told you - it's him. I don't like him, he's no good for you, and you're wasting your time with him. "
" Excuse me? " Jena asked, raising her eyebrows.
The whole common room was watching them by this point, and Bill took a step closer to Jena. The pair of them were both glaring at each other, and both looked extremely angry at the other.
" Mark Chang doesn't care about you," Bill said, " he's only with you so he can kiss you - that's all he's bothered about, you know. He doesn't even talk much to you, does he? He doesn't know anything about you, doesn't want to know, and doesn't bother to find out anything about you. He's only in it because you're a pretty girl and one of the very few he hasn't already been out with. And he hasn't asked you to the ball, even though you're supposed to be his girlfriend, which means he doesn't plan on being with you for very long. He'll have moved onto someone else in two minutes. "
" How dare you? " Jena demanded, " what's it got to do with you? "
" I'm trying to look out for you, Jennifer," Bill hissed, " I care about you, I know what's best for you, and I won't stand here and watch someone like that take advantage of you. And you don't help matters, you know. "
" What? "
" You just let him treat you like that! " Bill said, " surely you know he doesn't care about you - you should be with someone who knows how to treat you - someone who really likes you! "
" Yeah, like who? " Jena demanded, glaring up at him.
" Well I don't know," he said, " but all he's interested in is the kissing. "
Bill suddenly seized her forearms and pushed her up against the nearby wall, pinning her to the wall and moving close to her, glaring down at her. " And if that's all you're interested in," he continued, " you don't have to go running to him. "
Jena was completely taken suprise by his sudden forceful nature, but couldn't deny that she liked it. She rarely ever saw him angry, but it was quite attractive.
He pressed his body up against hers and captured her lips with his. He kissed her for a long, slow moment, his lips caressing hers and his hands keeping her firmly in place - which was probably a good thing because she was sure her knees would give way otherwise.
Jena was sure that nothing could feel better than this, and she kissed back. When Bill broke the kiss, he let go of her arms quickly and folded his own over his chest.
" There you go," he said, " now you tell me that Mark Chang can kiss like that. "
" No," Jena whispered, desperately wanting more.
" Don't waste your time with him," Bill said, before turning away and heading up to the boys dorms and leaving Jena, stunned, to stare after him, knowing that the next chance she got, she would end things with Mark.