Chapter Nine

~Nellie~

There was snow on the ground that was still coming down on the night of the Yule Ball. Hermione and I had joined Ginny in the third year girls' dormitory because there were no other girls rushing about trying to get ready for the ball. We weren't rushing, though; we had everything under control. The only thing that was rushing was my heartbeat as I made sure all of my curls were being held perfectly in place. I didn't need to do much to my hair, but I had pinned the front of it back a bit so it wouldn't fall into my face.

I was seated on Ginny's bed behind her, brushing out her hair. She wasn't doing anything any special to it, either, but I'd always wanted to brush her hair because it was always so beautiful. When she'd OFFERED to let me do it for her, I'd jumped on it. Now, as my fingers ran through her hair, I found myself wondering if George's hair felt as soft as his sister's.

Nellie, that's creepy. Stop thinking like that, my mind told me.

Hermione had somehow managed to tame those wild curls of her and got them pinned up so that they fell down her back in gentle waves. She still hadn't told me who she was going with, but she promised she would as soon as she got ready. Ginny had already told us that Neville had asked her, and she made sure that we knew that she only agreed to go because she wanted to go to the ball - not because she liked Neville as anything more than a friend.

I put the last bits of makeup on Ginny's face a short while later and stepped back, smiling down at her. She grinned back, and we both tried to conceal our gasps when we looked at Hermione. I still hadn't gotten over how absolutely gorgeous she looked in her dress. It was just so beautiful, and she made it look radiant.

"Time to fess up now, Hermione," Ginny pointed out, drawing her legs up onto the mattress. "Who're you going to the ball with?"

Her face turned a deep shade of pink and she tried to do something with her hands to distract herself. "Um..." She cleared her throat, gave us a nervous look, and then look back to the mirror. "Viktor Krum."

Ginny and I both screamed.

I ran over to her, careful not to topple over in my heels. I threw my arms around her and squeezed, still squealing a little. "Oh, Hermione, that's wonderful!" I exclaimed, setting my hands on her shoulders with the biggest grin I'd ever worn. "You're surely going to have the most amazing night. Far better than Ginny or I are going to have."

Hermione winked discreetly at me. "Hm, I wouldn't be so sure, Nellie," she said slyly. "You're going with George."

Even his name made me blush, a fact that I desperately tried to hide and ultimately failed at concealing. "Oh, stop it," I said playfully, trying to play it off as a joke.

Ginny came up from behind me and stood next to Hermione, folding her arms across her chest. "You can't lie to us, Nellie. You fancy my brother." She was smiling.

"I don't!" I insisted, backing away from them. "I haven't got time to worry about boys. I've got school to concern myself with."

"Nellie, you worry about school about as much as Harry and Ron do," Hermione said smartly, smirking at me.

Ginny nodded. "By the way, who did Harry and Ron end up asking to go the ball with them?"

The smile disappeared from Hermione's face and she looked away, turning up her nose just slightly. "I believe they asked Parvati and Padma Patil to go with them."

Ginny bumped me with her hip. "So the boys are each going with a twin just like you are!"

I did my best to not smile at her. "Come on, we should be going. I suspect Viktor Krum is probably waiting for Hermione." I winked at her.

She turned pink again and pushed past the both of us, striding toward the door to the dormitory. "I told him I'd meet him outside the Great Hall."

Ginny smirked. "Excellent. We're meeting George and Neville there as well." She seemed a little disappointed in the fact that she was going with Neville, but I'd already ASSURED her several times that she was going to have a great night. Neville was a sweet boy; he'd make sure she had some fun.

The three of us walked into the common room and toward the portrait hole, collecting quite a few jealous stares along the way. I automatically knew they were all for Hermione; it wasn't every day that she went out of her way to look more beautiful than usual. I suspect the other students weren't used to it.

On our way to the Great Hall we passed by Fred and Angelina, who were standing with another group of Gryffindors that I didn't know all that well. Fred did a double take when he saw us, but instead of fixing his eyes on Hermione or his sister, he was only looking at me. We were just about to walk past their group when he reached out and grabbed my arm. "Nellie," he said incredulously. "You look amazing."

I blushed. "Thank you, Fred. You look very handsome yourself." His red hair was tucked behind his ears and he was wearing formal black and white dress robes, which really consited of black pants, a white shirt and tie, and a black robe over top of it all. I figured George's attire probably looked the same, and politely excused myself so that I could go and verify that thought. Fred's eyes followed me down the hall as I went along with Hermione and Ginny.

We reached the top of the stairs that would lead us down to the Great Hall. Several other students were milling around with their dates. The Durmstrang boys were wearing their red tunics with the fur on the collar while the other Hogwarts boys were dressed similarly to Fred, Except Ron, who I caught a glimpse of as he and Harry reached the bottom of the stairs before we could even start down. He looked like something a cat would drag out of a dusty old closet - in the nicest way possible, of course.

"I can't go down there," Hermione hissed as she ducked back around the corner we'd just passed. "I can't!"

Ginny and I turned back to her. "Why not?" I asked.

"Ron and Harry are down there!"

"It's going to be a crowded hall, Hermione," I reasoned. "You're bound to run into them at some point. Don't let them spoil your night. We're here to have fun."

She nodded, yet she still didn't look convinced. "Well, I don't see Viktor yet anyway. Maybe I'll just... I'll wait here for a bit longer. You two go on without me."

Ginny and I exchanged a look before shrugging. I looped my arm around hers and we walked together back over to the stairs, each of us doing our best to not fall down them in our shoes. We spotted Neville first and headed his way after waving to Harry and Ron. Ron was too busy playing with the collar of his robes to really pay much attention, but Harry smiled, which made Ginny turn as red as her hair.

"Ginny," Neville gasped as we came toward him. "You look so pretty. And you're quite beautiful as well, Nellie." I smiled at Neville in thanks, patted Ginny's shoulder, and then headed off to find my own date.

Where in the world could he be? I asked myself. Surely I should have spotted him by now.

Someone tapped on my shoulder. "Excuse me, miss, but have you seen - "

I turned around and found myself face to face with none other than George Weasley. I broke into a grin, all of the nerves leading up to this moment completely vanishing within the second. I'd lied about wearing the biggest grin on my face when Hermione announced who her date was; I was wearing my largest grin yet as soon as I realized who was standing behind me. "Looking for someone?" I asked cheekily. I waited for an answer, but he seemed at a loss for words. I waved my hand in front of his face and he blinked. "Find what you were looking for, Georgie?"

"I've found more," he said automatically, his eyes still wide. He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes skimming me and trying not to linger on one specific spot for too long. He eventually found my face again and held my gaze, a shy smile on his face. "Nellie, you look..." He trailed off.

"Beautiful?" I offered. "That seems to be the choice adjective tonight."

He shook his head. "Beautiful doesn't cover it."

I was certain my face was bright red at that point and I tried to hide behind my hair, forgetting for a moment that I'd pinned it back so I couldn't do exactly that. Thankfully, a silence fell across the assembled students. Two words were circling the area: Hermione Granger.

"Finally come out of hiding then, has she?" I said to myself, looking toward the staircase with a smile. She looked absolutely radiant as she walked gracefully down the stairs to where Krum was waiting for her at the bottom. He bowed as she reached him and extended his arm, which she took with a small smile and a girlish giggle. "Isn't she gorgeous?" I said aloud.

"Who?" George asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Hermione, of course. Look at her. She's practically glowing in that dress."

I glanced at George only to find that he hadn't tore his gaze away from me yet. "Why should I care what Hermione is wearing or how she looks when the most stunning girl in this school is standing right in front of me?"

My face probably turned crimson then. "George," I said softly. "Stop it."

He gently curled his arm around mine and smiled at me. "I believe I've made you blush." I turned my face away in embarrassment, which only made him chuckle at me. "Come on. I suspect the ball will be starting soon."

He led me into the Great Hall where we promptly bumped into Angelina and Fred again. Fred, just like before, was focusing all of his attention on me. "Sure you don't want to be my date instead, Nellie?" he asked. I couldn't tell if he was being serious or not, but Angelina and I laughed anyway. George, on the other hand, looked upset. His arm tightened just a little bit more around mine. Fred noticed this and grinned before he waved at the both of us. "Have fun, kids," he called as he and Angelina strolled away.

I nudged George with my shoulder as we walked. "What's the matter?"

"You wouldn't leave me for Fred's company, would you?" he asked, turning innocent (for once) doe eyes on me. He seemed to be genuinely concerned.

I set a hand on his shoulder and dragged him to a stop. "Are you jealous, honey?" I asked, a humored smile on my face.

He scoffed. "Of course not. I'm much better looking than Fred."

I shook my head and started to walk again toward where the other couples were grouped around the large dance floor. "I don't care if you're aesthetically pleasing or not, George. That's not what really matters."

We stopped walking again. "Whatever it is that does matter, do I have it?"

My brows furrowed as I looked at him. He appeared to be really eager to hear my answer, for reasons unknown. I opened my mouth to answer, but closed it again when I realized I couldn't form the words I wanted to say. So, instead, I asked, "Why do you want to know?"

It was George's turn to become the human embodiment of a tomato. "I just want to know that I have what it takes to still be your...friend." It was almost as if he was having a difficult time saying the last word because he just sort of spit it out at me. I didn't have time to ask him about it, however, because the four champions and their dates were walking out to start the first dance.

George and I both stifled laughs about Harry awkwardly trying to dance with Parvati while the rest of the student body was gasping about Hermione dancing with Krum. "I can't believe Krum asked her," George said to me.

I raised my eyebrows. "What, you think Hermione isn't good enough for him?" The words came out a little more harshly than I wanted them to.

He held up his hands. "No, of course not. I meant that Krum isn't good enough for Hermione."

I broke into another grin and looked down at my shoes and the floor. I could have looked up at all the snowflakes, icicles, and tiny white lights that adorned the Great Hall, but I didn't want George to see me blushing for the umpteenth time tonight. He set a light hand on my arm. "What's wrong?" he asked, leaning in a bit so I could hear his whisper.

"That," I answered. I could tell he was confused, so I went on. "That right there is what matters."

"Saying Hermione's too good for Krum?"

"Loyalty to your friends, George," I answered with a laugh, titling my chin up to look at him. "But more than that as well. You don't have to worry about it all, though. You've already exceeded all my expectations."

The smile on his face was so bright and cheerful that it made my heart throb uncomfortably in my chest. As the crowd converged around us to join in on the dance, George set both of his hands on my waist. "Would you like to dance with me?" he asked coyly.

I curled my arms around his neck, pulling him closer but still leaving space between us. I'd heard that detentions were going to be given out to anyone seen dancing too close or doing things that weren't considered school appropriate. But the space between us was just fine. "Of course I would," I replied with a smile.

He twirled me around the room, always keeping a firm hold on me so I wouldn't fall. He stepped on my toes a few times, but I never said anything about it. In that moment, I couldn't have cared less. In time with all of the rest of the people dancing around us, George lifted me into the air and spun me, laughing out loud and squinting his eyes at me. Each time he set me back down I stumbled forward into his arms, laughing as well. It was turning out to be the perfect night.

The slow song ended and turned into a more upbeat one. It was "Dance Like a Hippogriff" by The Weird Sisters, according to George, and he knew every single word to it. I watched as he sang it all and tried my best to not laugh at his dancing, which was actually much better than mine. I was a Beauxbaton; I could dance ballet like no other. But that? George definitely took the cake on that song.

We stopped for punch at some point and found Fred and Angelina again and danced with them for a few songs. It was getting late, and we'd been at this ball for what seemed like forever, but I never wanted to leave. I really enjoyed the looks I was getting from George, and I was afraid that when the night ended everything would go back to how it was before. I was desperately praying that that wouldn't happen.

George pulled me into his arms as another slow song began playing. One of his hands was on my waist while the other clutched my own hand. There were only inches between our bodies, but it was close enough to get my heart beating a mile a minute. "Do you know this song too?" I asked, just to keep me distracted from where my mind was trying to go.

"It's 'Magic Works', I think," he answered, looking up at the ceiling in thought. He tilted his head just a bit to the side and I could have sworn it was the most adorable thing I'd ever witnessed. He hummed a bit and nodded his head. "Yeah, I was right. This is a good one."

I could only watch him as we spun in slow, tight circles. He mouthed the lyrics in time with the singer; I was transfixed.

"And dance your final dance. This is your last chance to hold the one you love. You've waited long enough."

"You know," George said conversationally. "If you didn't look like a Gryffinfor before, you definitely look like one in that dress. The colors are perfect."

I blushed. "Thank you."'

"Believe that magic works. Don't be afraid of being hurt. Don't let this magic die. The answer's there, oh, just look in her eyes."

"I'm really glad you agreed to be my date tonight," he said. "You really do look stunning, by the way. Much prettier than any of the other girls out here."

I shook my head with a small smile. "You're such a shameless flirt, George Weasley."

He laughed. "Only for you."

"And make your final move. Don't be scared; she wants you too. Yeah, it's hard. You must be brave. Don't let this moment slip away."

"So what happens after we leave here tonight?" he asked.

I chuckled. "Well, I intend to go back to my dormitory and sleep. It's up to you what you do."

He shook his head with a tiny smile. "That's not what I meant."

"Believe that magic works. Don't be afraid of being hurt. No, don't let this magic die. Oh, the answer's there. Just look in her eyes."

I tilted my head like he did earlier, but it was nowhere near as cute. "Then what did you mean?" I knew perfectly well what he meant.

He cleared his throat.

"And don't believe that magic can die. No, no, no, this magic can't die."

A shy look came over his face and he ducked his head. Through the twinkling lights of the Great Hall, I could just make out the pink tint to his ears. He was embarrassed about something. Why was he so afraid to say it?

I laid my hand on the side of his face. He leaned into my touch. "George," I said with a smile. "What is it?"

"So dance your final dance. This is your final chance."

His sudden shyness was endearing. Everything about him was endearing, to be more precise. The way his eyes only stayed halfway open in the mornings before breakfast, the way he scrunched up his nose when he laughed, the way he said my name like it was the most special and important thing in the world. The pressure of his hand on my waist was just enough, the feel of his fingers curled around mine was the only thing keeping me on my feet. Those light brown eyes of his had my mind swimming with a million thoughts that revolved solely around him. And when he smiled at me, it was all I needed to understand.

I'm in love with George Weasley.

A sudden searing pain exploded in my head, making me gasp a bit and squeeze George's hand so hard he was in danger of getting a few fingers broken. I stumbled back about half of a step, his hand on my waist saving me from falling. And then I was frozen, staring at something just above his left shoulder when there wasn't anything actually there.

My mind was transported to a different part of the castle. Walls were crumbling, the staircases resembled gravel, and bodies littered every surface. The smell of dust and debris made me cough, racking my body and sending me tumbling to my knees. I pushed myself back to my feet when the fit had stalled and grabbed what was left of the stair railing to guide me toward wherever this vision was deciding I had to go.

And then I knew. Red hair immediately caught my attention, contrasting against the dull gray and brown of the castle remains. His back was to me, his wand in his hand as he stood there. He was saying something, but the words were muffled and distorted. His hair was shorter than it was in reality, leading me to believe that this vision was showing me years in the future. How many, I wasn't entirely sure.

I started to pick my way across the rubble to get to him when a loud explosion made the wall directly in front of him blow up. I think I screamed, but I couldn't hear it. The dust made me cough again, and when it finally settled I discovered the nature of this vision. There he was, lying on the floor under large chunks of rock with dust and blood matting in his red hair and making it turn a dark shade of gray. I started to run, but I knew the verdict before I could reach him.

George was going to die.

My eyes were still wide and unseeing. Words poured out of my mouth entirely on their own, the voice saying them sounding like a distorted version of my own. "In the final battle, blood will stain stone and tears will upset settled dust. And the moment everything looks okay, that's when everything is lost."

George's grip on me was unwavering. If anything, it had gotten stronger. But it wasn't strong enough to stop these visions, and it certainly wasn't strong enough to keep my eyes from rolling back and my legs from giving out.

The last thing I heard was him frantically calling my name.