infinityneverlasts: John is just a casualty of young puppy love *shrug emoji*

Chapter 21: We Have a Ball, Part 2

Snow was lightly falling outside the castle. The lawn in front of the oak doors was full of twinkling fairy lights. Actual fairies, mind you. They fluttered over the rosebushes and statues of Santa and his reindeer. The fairy lights also led to a winding path covered in ornamented rosebushes and more stone statues. In the middle of the path was a large fountain. Carved benches were charmed to stay warm as students sat on them, taking a break from the festivities inside.

This is where I found myself with Fred Weasley.

There was a lapse in our conversation after Fred had told me about his and George's plans for their joke products. I listened with great interest as he explained to me their hopes to sell to the public. It was something I knew Molly would be furious about. They weren't worried about their N.E.W.T.s at all which I knew would put Molly in her grave too. Running a joke shop was their true passion.

When the warmed bench wasn't enough to keep away the chill, Fred offered me his cloak. I declined, saying he needed it as well. But Fred removed it and placed the cloak on my shoulders anyway. It smelled deliciously like him. Sandalwood and chocolate. If he noticed how deeply I breathed in his scent, he didn't mention it. I suggested that maybe we should go for a walk to keep warm. The path was icier than I thought because, when I took a step, I slipped right into a stone reindeer. Fred, who had grabbed my arm, slid into me, trapping me between the reindeer and his warm body. Both of my eyes were squeezed shut and my hands were pressed against his chest. My right fingers twitched unconsciously. He was quite muscular.

"Cora," he said softly.

"Yes," I breathed in his scent again.

"Open your eyes," he told me firmly.

I shook my head. I knew that if I opened my eyes I wouldn't be able to control myself. I hadn't been able to stop thinking about Fred for a very long time. I always thought about how it would feel, having him this close to me. I always thought about how his body would feel pressed against mine and how his breath would feel on my cheek and how his lips would taste upon mine. Here I was, with Fred's body pressed against mine, and I couldn't even open my eyes.

I felt his fingers trace my jawline. I shivered at the contact. Fred's thumb rested on my chin as he lifted my head up. This time, I opened my eyes. I had been right. His brown vest complimented his amber eyes perfectly. I gulped. He smiled softly. I found myself reaching up on my toes as if Fred had me under the Imperious Curse. My stomach was in knots the moment I felt his breath on my face. I saw the raw look in his eyes as I brought my lips closer and closer to his.

The rosebushes were suddenly blasted apart. I almost cried out in fright as Fred had spun around so fast I thought he'd slip. His body was blocking mine as he faced a surly looking Snape and grimacing Karkaroff. Their wands were out, pointing bright light in our faces.

"Weasley. Maguire," Snape growled. "Twenty points from Gryffindor!"

"What," I cried out. "Why? We weren't doing anything!"

"A likely story," Snape snarled.

"We were just talking," Fred told our Potions Master. "Is that a crime?"

"Go talk somewhere else lest you want another twenty points taken!" Snape spun around and tramped thought the busted up rosebushes from where he and Karkaroff came from. The Durmstrang High Master followed Snape quickly, leaving us staring off at them.

"So," I began as we started walking back to the Great Hall. "Does Angelina now you ditched her?"

Fred laughed, "She's in good hands. I left her to get drinks and she was dancing with George. They looked rather close, if you know what I mean, eh?"

"Oh," I chuckled. "Well, if they looked…close…why did you ask her to the ball and not George?"

"He wasn't going too," Fred confessed as we walked through the oak doors. "George isn't as suave with the ladies as I am. I was just demonstrating how easy it would be to ask someone, obviously."

I stopped walking and stared at Fred with a slight frown. "That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard."

Fred was silent for a few moments. Then he smiled, "Yeah. It is."

Inside the Great Hall, I saw Ron and Harry sitting at the same table I had left them at. Parvati and Padma were sitting at a table far away from them with two Durmstrang boys. Hermione, I noticed, was still dancing with Krum. She was smiling as he spun her around and around to another rock song. It warmed my heart to see her so happy.

"Oi! There you are!" George approached us with a large grin on his face. "I've been looking for you," he said to Fred. "He's here."

Fred's eyes glanced around the Great Hall. "Is he now?"

"We might not get another chance."

Fred nodded in response. I was terribly confused. He turned to me, "Do you mind if I leave you for a bit? George and I have some business to take care of."

I wanted to laugh. He was asking if he could leave me? I wasn't even his date. But I nodded as I pulled his cloak closer to my body, a draft from the open oak doors made a chill run up my spine. Fred grinned a slightly lopsided grin and took my free hand in his. He pressed a light kiss to the back of my left hand, never taking his eyes off of me. My face flushed as he took off with his twin.

I walked over to the table Harry and Ron were at with a shit-eating grin on my face. I took the seat next to Ron and giggled out loud, trying to cover my smile. I sighed contently as I watched the dancers flail around to another Weird Sisters song. Harry, who was watching me from the moment I sat down, raised an eyebrow. Ron was silently scowling at the dancers.

"So you're, uh, friendly with Haring now," Ron asked with a bite in his voice as the song ended.

"That's not Haring's cloak, mate," Harry smirked.

Ron's head turned towards me. I was scanning the dancefloor, looking for Fred. When I spotted him and George, they were talking animatedly to Ludo Bagman. Ron must have realized something because Fred and George were wearing identical cloaks. George had his cloak. Fred did not. I was clearly wearing Fred's cloak.

"You're joking," Ron exclaimed. "What're you doin' with Fred? He's with Angelina."

"Honestly, Ron –" I breathed.

"He's a right pumpkinhead, isn't he," Ron cut me off. I thought he was talking about Fred, but he had gone back to scowling at Hermione and Krum, clearly not caring about what I was going to say.

Harry's lips twitched, "I don't think he was going to the library to check out books."

"He was checking out Hermione," I added. Ron looked furious. Harry and I shared a knowing look.

At that moment, Hermione and Krum came running off the dancefloor. They were both out of breath and smiling like idiots having fun. We watched as Krum gave Hermione a slight bow, kissing her hand. I had never seen Hermione blush before tonight, and boy, her face was red. She spun to face us, clearly over the moon with what had just happened. She took the seat next to Harry, not even attempting to suppress her happy smile.

"Hot, isn't it," she fanned herself. I smiled softly at the excitement in her voice. "Viktor's gone to get drinks. Care to join us?"

Harry was about to respond when Ron sat up in his seat. He leaned over Harry, "No, we'd NOT care to join you and Viktor."

"What's got your wand in a knot," Hermione asked, trying not to be phased by Ron's cruel tone.

"If you don't know, I'm not telling you," Ron crossed his arms and stared at the thinning dancefloor.

"Ron –"

"He's a Durmstrang," Ron lowered his voice. "You're fraternizing with the enemy."

I groaned. Harry's mouth fell open. Hermione frowned as she ducked her head closer to his. "The enemy," she grit out. "Who was it wanting his autograph?" Ron leaned back with wide eyes. She had him there. But she continued, "The whole point of the tournament is…international magical cooperation…to make friends."

"I think he has a bit more than friendship on his mind," Ron huffed.

"Ron," I exclaimed as I smacked him across the chest. Viktor Krum had nothing but good intentions towards Hermione. He had been going to the library every single day to try and talk to her. She was the only girl who had caught his eye. Despite the international fame of being a Pro Quidditch player, he never had the courage to speak to her until a few days before the Yule Ball.

Hermione stood up, looking like Ron had just backhanded her across the face. She stared to walk off. She stopped herself and turned back around. I thought she was going to give a tongue lashing to Ron, but it seemed that words escaped her. Her eyes became glassy as she turned and walked out of the Great Hall. Ron slid back down in his chair and crossed his arms, a scowl graced his face again. Harry looked back towards where Hermione had gone off. He seemed torn between going to her and staying with Ron. I looked to where Fred and George where still talking with Ludo Bagman and I knew what I had to do.

"I told you, Ronald," I whispered. Ron barely moved. "I told you not to ruin this night for her. And what do you do? You are an asshole."

I stood up, clutching Fred's cloak and dashed off after Hermione. There were a few people in the entrance hall milling about. None of them were Hermione. But I knew my friend. I knew exactly where she would be. I headed for the bathroom when I was stopped by a gruff voice.

"Ave you seen Herm-own-ninny? Your vriends did not know."

Viktor Krum was standing behind me holding two butterbeers. He looked dashing in his Durmstrang uniform. He was looking around the entrance hall with a worried look. It made me wonder if he thought she had run off with someone else. Kind of like what I did to John…

"I haven't actually," I told the Bulgarian teen truthfully. "But I'm looking for her now. She might be in the bathroom. I'll bring her back to you if she's in there."

Krum nodded respectfully and waited while I ducked into the bathroom. Hermione was leaning against a sink with her head down. She was taking deep breaths from the way her shoulders rose and fell. I walked passed her to a toilet stall. I rolled up a wad of toilet paper and then stood next to my friend. Her eyes were closed and, like I expected, she was breathing deeply, trying not to cry.

"Here," I said softly. I placed a hand on her bare back and her shoulders crumpled. No tears had fallen yet, but that didn't mean they wouldn't. "There are so many things I could say right now. We both know how Ron is. We both know he won't apologize." Hermione had straightened up. She looked at me as I used a bit of the toilet paper to dab the corner of her eyes. "We do know that he's protective. He doesn't show it, but he doesn't want to see you hurt. And Krum – Viktor – has the potential to hurt you. He's an international student and he's also a Pro Quidditch star. But you can look out for yourself. You're smart. You can make your own decisions."

I threw the wadded up toilet paper in the trash bin. Hermione sighed and stood tall. "Thanks," she whispered.

"Viktor's in the hall," I motioned towards the bathroom door with my head. "Let's go have fun. Make friends."

As we left the bathroom, Hermione turned to me. "Speaking of making friends," she smirked. "I noticed you aren't wearing John Haring's cloak."

I blushed as I rubbed the collar of Fred's cloak with my thumb. Viktor walked up to us before I could find something to say. He handed Hermione one of the drinks and thanked me for finding her. He offered his arm to her like a true gentleman and they walked back into the Great Hall. I decided I needed to check in with John as I followed Hermione and Viktor. He was sitting near the front corner of the tables with a group of his friends and their dates. It was getting late and the Great Hall was getting less and less crowded as students ended their night.

When I walked up to the table, one of John's friends nudged him. He turned around and gave me a small smile. I asked him if we could talk and he stood up slowly, telling his friends he'd be right back. So this won't take long I guess. We moved to an empty table a few over from his and sat down. I fiddled with my necklace under Fred's cloak.

"So, I wanted to say sorry," I started.

John held up his hand, "Let me stop you right there, Cora. You aren't sorry and you shouldn't be."

"Oh – okay?"

"I let you go off with Weasley, knowing very well that you probably wouldn't come back. I've known you liked him for months. It's obvious the way you pined after him. I was very surprised when you accepted my invitation to the ball tonight. But then I found out he was coming with another member of your Quidditch team so... Anyway, no hard feelings, okay?"

"Wo – I – I don't understand," I managed to stammer out. I thought he'd be mad or something. But he seemed – I don't know, he seemed defeated.

"Look, I like you. I really do. But you don't like me the way I like you. So what's the point in trying anymore?"

"So, you're okay with the fact that I ditched you?"

"Well, no. But I get it. I'm a little sad you came to apologize. It just proves to me that I'm letting go of a good thing and I – damn I really sound pathetic, huh?"

"You're a good person too," I confessed. I placed a hand comfortingly over one of his clenched fists. John stood up suddenly, pulling his hand from under mine. He licked his lips and looked back at his friends who were blatantly watching. "Can we be friends?"

"No," John rubbed the back of his neck. I was taken aback at his statement. "No, it's best if we aren't. You know, for my sake."

"Okay."

"Bye, Cora. I hope Weasley makes you happy. If not, well, I owe him a shiner."

And just like that, the annoying John Haring was no more. There would be no more comments in the corridors. No more God-awful shouted pickup lines in the stairwells. No more randomly popping up when I was alone and acting all nice and caring. And I didn't think I'd miss it. In fact, I was a little relieved.

The Weird Sisters had just finished a song and the chatter picked up again. From my seat, I saw Harry and Ron still sitting at their table. I didn't think they had moved all night. Their dates were nowhere to be seen. Hermione and Viktor were laughing like close friends at some joke one or the other had made. Ginny and Neville were at a table with Dean, Seamus, Jo, and a fifth year Hufflepuff girl. Lavender was chatting up some Durmstrang boy who had his arm against the wall and was leaning very close to her head. They all looked so content and happy (except for Ron and Harry, obviously).

I felt a body sit next to me, their arm touching mine. I looked over at Fred who had a tender smile on his face. "Breakup with Haring, yeah?"

I knocked my shoulder into Fred's. "If that's what you want to call it, sure," I laughed.

Fred and I watched as more and more students left the Great Hall to call it a night. It was almost midnight and the ball would be over soon. Couples took to the tables to have their last few minutes together before leaving. Many walked off with their friends or alone. In the far corner, Moody was dozing off while Flitwick was snoring with his head resting on a table. I felt myself unconsciously lean into Fred as he shifted so my head was resting on his shoulder. I was about to remove his cloak to place it over our laps when I saw Viktor saying goodnight to Hermione. He gave her another bow, kissing her hand for a second time tonight, and left for the Durmstrang ship. That's when she rejoined Ron and Harry. They talked for a bit before all three stood up. Harry left before the other two did. I noticed he gave a longing look towards the dancefloor before leaving. Cho Chang and Cedric Diggory were dancing rather close to a slow song at that moment.

"He's using you," I heard Ron comment to Hermione as they passed me and Fred.

"How dare you," her voice lowered as they left the hall. "Besides, I can take care of myself."

I stood up in a flash. I didn't move as I watched my two friends arguing as they left the hall. Fred joined me, placing a hand on my wrist. I looked at him. "Should you go after them," he asked. I continued staring off after Ron and Hermione. Fred shook his head. "Those two will get married some day, I swear."

The soft thrumming of the bass pulled my attention to the stage. "Alright, Lads and Ladies," Myron Wagtail said softly. "This will be the last song of the night."

The few remaining couples in the Great Hall walked onto the dancefloor for their last few moments together. Cho Chang and Cedric Diggory remained in each other's arms. I also noticed that Fleur Delacour and her Ravenclaw date were rather close together.

"Last one," Fred asked as he took my hand. I removed his cloak and placed it on the chair. With our fingers interlaced, Fred led me to the dancefloor.

"This one's going out to all the lovers out there," Myron sighed dreamily. I placed my arms around Fred's shoulders, resting my fingers on the base of his neck. I shivered as he put his hands on my hips. "Hold each other tight and keep each other warm."

And dance your final dance
This is your final chance
To hold the one you love
You know you've waited long enough

I hummed contently as I looked around at the remaining couples. I was surprised to see Neville and Ginny (of all people) still dancing. She was staring up at the enchanted ceiling, watching the snow fall and evaporate above our heads. Neville, who had his hands placed respectively on her upper waist, wasn't staring at his feet, but behind Ginny at Hannah Abbot who was sitting at a table by herself looking forlorn. Hagrid was swaying with Madame Maxine, his head resting on her chest since she was taller than him. Fred and I laughed as Hagrid's hand strayed lower and Madame Maxine forced it back to her upper back. Hagrid blushed.

So, 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

"You know," Fred began. I looked up at him. Fred's amber eyes were sparkling with laughter. "I'm surprised you haven't commented on my bad dancing. I got all of my moves from Hagrid over there. So I'm not that great."

"All of them," I smirked.

"All of them," Fred confirmed as he moved his left hand around to my lower back. Unlike Madame Maxine, I did not bring his hand back up higher. "Cora?"

"Yes," I smiled as I whispered.

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...

"You look really beautiful tonight."

Beautiful. I found myself smiling wider at his comment. Beautiful, not just pretty.

Now, believe
That magic works
Don't be afraid
Afraid of being hurt
Don't, don't let this magic die
The answer's there
Oh, just look in her eyes

The hall was spinning. We weren't, but the Great Hall was. Everything was falling, and I didn't know where to land. All had blurred together except for Fred. My fingers were playing with the ends of his hair as that raw look from before came back into his eyes. My stomach, which had been bunched with nerves, released a fluttering feeling all over my body.

"Fred, I'm feeling kinda dizzy," I confessed to him.

"Maybe we should stop swaying," Fred asked in concern. He gently pulled my body closer. "It's from all the swaying, huh?"

"We have stopped." Fred and I had indeed stopped swaying to the music. We were just standing on the dancefloor, staring at each other. He was just standing there, with his arms around me, looking so magnificent, it took my breath away.

His lips were on mine quickly as he kissed me softly. He gripped my hips just as softly and I gasped. My hands moved to the back of his head as I ran my fingers through his shaggy ginger hair. Fred Weasley is kissing me! I am kissing Fred Weasley! My heart thumped against my chest as Fred deepened the kiss. My nose was uncomfortably smashed against his, but I didn't care. I heard a rumble in his throat as I gripped his hair maybe a little too tightly. He was a very good kisser. I wanted to keep kissing him. It felt amazing. I felt amazing. But all good things must come to an end. When Fred pulled away from me, I almost whined. Fred smirked down at me as I gazed up at him through hooded eyes. He placed his forehead against mine as we listened to Myron Wagtail's final serenade with our arms around each other.

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

So dance your final dance
'Cause this is
Your final chance