The other Miss Granger
Chapter 10:
The start of December brought wind and sleet to Hogwarts. Harry had never known so many people to put their names down to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas; he always did, of course, because the alternative was usually going back to Privet Drive, but he had always been very much in the minority before now. This year, however, everyone in the fourth year and above seemed to be staying, and they all seemed to Harry to be obsessed with the coming ball or at least all the girls were, and it was amazing how many girls Hogwarts suddenly seemed to hold; he had never quite noticed that before. Girls giggling and whispering in the corridors, girls shrieking with laughter as boys passed them, girls excitedly comparing notes on what they were going to wear on Christmas night...
"Why do they have to move in packs?" Harry asked Ron as a dozen or so girls walked past them, sniggering and staring at Harry. "How're you supposed to get one on their own to ask them?"
"Lasso one?" Ron suggested. "Got any idea who you're going to try?"
Harry didn't answer. He knew perfectly well whom he'd like to ask, but working up the nerve was something else. . . . Cho was a year older than he was; she was very pretty; she was a very good Quidditch player, and she was also very popular. Ron seemed to know what was going on inside Harry's head.
"Listen, you're not going to have any trouble. You're a champion. You've just beaten a Hungarian Horntail. I bet they'll be queuing up to go with you. Look there's Jolie!" Ron said, waving at Jolie she seemed to have a bigger fan club than Krum.
"Hey guys. Still looking for dates?" She asked them. They both nodded.
"I bet loads of guys have asked you." Ron said in awe at her.
"27 to be exact and then there was like 15 that asked me by letter but I don't count those." she told them.
"But who are you going with?" Harry asked her. She smiled a shrugged.
"Number 30. But don't tell anyone." she said and winked before walking of to join some girls from Beauxbatons who immediately followed her.
"I'm going to tell Charlie just to make him miserable so it will make me feel better." Ron told Harry grinning. Harry chuckled.
Jolie was walking out of the great hall after having dinner with Hermione. During dinner a Slytherin boy had came and asked her to go to the ball and she had politely turned him down and told him one of her friends thought he was cute and to ask her tomorrow at which he had smiled and thanked her. Walking out of the great hall one of the boys from Drumstrang had asked her and she refused again. The next guy she would say yes unless he was younger than her of course.
She was walking towards the library when she heard someone call her name. She turned around and saw the handsome Cedric Diggory jogging towards her, leaving his friends and fan club behind.
"Cedric I haven't seen you in awhile. I see that your cheek has gotten better." she said and smiled at him.
"It would have been a lot worse if you weren't there. You were amazing!" he told her and smiled.
"Thank you." she said and blushed at the compliment.
"I've been trying to build up the courage to talk to you and my mates said that if I could take on a dragon that I should be able to talk to you. I'm just going to spit it out. Will you go to the ball with me? It's okay if you don't want to. You probably already have a date but I thought it was worth a go-" Cedric said, not being able to stop talking and rubbing his neck. Jolie silenced him by putting a finger on his lips which made him blush a deep red.
"I'd love to go to the ball with you Cedric." she told him, after all he was number 30. He smiled brightly.
"Really?- eh I mean thanks sorry I mean great." he stuttered making him adorable. She giggled.
"I'll talk to you later I've got to go finish my potions assignment." he said and then quickly kissed her on the cheek before going back to his friends who all high-fived him or patted him on the back. Jolie couldn't help but chuckle at the amount of death glares she was getting from all the girls.
Later on Jolie was in her room with Fleur, normally the students were five by a room but Fleur and her were Madame Maxime's star students she wouldn't want them to be uncomfortable.
"So I was talking to Roger he has loads of friends if you don't have a date for the ball. You know you are to picky. I admit Mr Dragon was very sexy but he's in Romania." Fleur said in French as she brushed her hair.
"I told you I would say yes to number 30 and I did." Jolie told her as she was writing a letter to Charlie.
"Really? Who?" Fleur asked curiously.
"Cedric Diggory." she replied. Fleur grinned.
"Oh he is a very nice looking young man." Fleur said, wiggling her eyebrows. Causing both her and Fleur to giggle.
"Goodnight!" Jolie sang as she slipped into her queen size bed.
"Goodnight and have sweet dreams about a very sexy dragon keeper!" Fleur said and giggled.
"Good morning!" Jolie sang as she sat down beside Hermione and kissed her cheek.
"Is it true?" Ron asked her. Jolie looked at him curiously as she poured herself a cup of tea.
"Is what true?" she asked as she took a sip.
"Your going to the Yule Ball with Cedric Diggory?" Ron asked.
"He was number 30!" Jolie told him and grinned. Ron shook his head.
"We'll I got a date as well!" Harry said happily. This caused Ron to choke on his bacon.
"Who?" he demanded, going red.
"Cho." Harry said, with a dreamy look. Jolie giggled.
"Now if you will all excuse me I have class." she said and kissed Hermione on the cheek before leaving the hall, most boys staring after her as she left.
"I'm going to tell Charlie he'll be so jealous. Fred and George have already told mum that Charlie fancies her." Ron said and grinned. Hermione and Harry shared a look, both knew that Mrs Weasley was going to be so happy.
Entering the common room, Harry looked around, and to his surprise he saw Ron sitting ashen-faced in a distant corner. Ginny was sitting with him, talking to him in what seemed to be a low, soothing voice.
"What's up, Ron?" said Harry, joining them. Ron looked up at Harry, a sort of blind horror in his face.
"Why did I do it?" he said wildly. "I don't know what made me do it!"
"What?" said Harry.
"He - er - just asked Fleur Delacour to go to the ball with him," said Ginny. She looked as though she was fighting back a smile, but she kept patting Ron's arm sympathetically.
"You what?' said Harry.
"I don't know what made me do it!" Ron gasped again. "What was I playing at? There were people - all around - I've gone mad - everyone watching! I was just walking past her in the entrance hall - she was standing there talking to some girls from Beauxbatons - and it sort of came over me - and I asked her!"
Ron moaned and put his face in his hands. He kept talking, though the words were barely distinguishable.
"She looked at me like I was a sea slug or something. Didn't even answer. And then - I dunno. I just sort of came to my senses and ran for it."
"This is mad," said Ron. "We're the only ones left who haven't got anyone – well, except Neville. Hey - guess who he asked? Hermione!"
"What?" said Harry, completely distracted by this startling news."Yeah, I know!" said Ron, some of the colour coming back into his face as he started to laugh.
"He told me after Potions! Said she's always been really nice, helping him out with work and stuff- but she told him she was already going with someone. Ha! As if! She just didn't want to go with Neville ... I mean, who would?"
"Don't!" said Ginny, annoyed. "Don't laugh -"
Just then Hermione climbed in through the portrait hole.
"Why weren't you two at dinner?" she said, coming over to join them.
"Because - oh shut up laughing, you two - because Ron's just been turned down by the girl he asked to the ball!" said Ginny.
"Thanks a bunch, Ginny," said Ron sourly.
"All the good-looking ones taken, Ron?" said Hermione loftily. "Eloise Midgen starting to look quite pretty now, is she? Well, I'm sure you'll find someone somewhere who'll have you."
But Ron was staring at Hermione as though suddenly seeing her in a whole new light.
"Hermione, Neville's right - you are a girl. . . ."
"Oh well spotted," she said acidly.
"Well - you can come with one of us!"
"No, I can't," snapped Hermione.
"Oh come on," he said impatiently, "we need partners, we're going to look really stupid if we haven't got any, everyone else has . . ."
"I can't come with you,because I'm already going with someone."" said Hermione, now blushing.
"No, you're not!You just said that to get rid of Neville!"Ron said.
"Oh did I?" said Hermione, and her eyes flashed dangerously. "Just because it's taken you three years to notice, Ron, doesn't mean no one else has spotted I'm a girl!"
Ron stared at her. Then he grinned again.
"Okay, okay, we know you're a girl," he said. "That do? Will you come now?"
"I've already told you!" Hermione said very angrily. "I'm going with someone else!"
And she stormed off toward the girls' dormitories again.
"She's lying," said Ron flatly, watching her go.
"She's not," said Ginny quietly.
"Who is it then?" said Ron sharply.
"I'm not telling you, it's her business," said Ginny.
"Right," said Ron, who looked extremely put out, "this is getting stupid. Ginny, you can go with Harry, and I'll just -"
"I can't," said Ginny, and she went scarlet too. "I'm going with - with Neville. He asked me when Hermione said no, and I thought. . . well. . . I'm not going to be able to go otherwise, I'm not in fourth year." She looked extremely miserable. "I think I'll go and have dinner," she said, and she got up and walked off to the portrait hole, her head bowed.
Harry had just seen Parvati and Lavender come in through the portrait hole.
The time had come for drastic action.
"Wait here," he said to Ron, and he stood up, walked straight up to Parvati, andsaid, "Parvati? Will you go to the ball with Ron he's to shy to ask?"
"Yes, all right then," she said finally, blushing furiously. Harry thanked her and smiled before going back to Ron.
"Sorted." he said and grinned.