Jane stood in front of the mirror twenty minutes later. After having her evening with Snape interrupted, she had no other option but to leave him and go to the ball with George. Had she argued, McGonnogal would have gotten suspicious. She had no choice. But she felt bad about it.

After leaving his office, she had made her way back up to her dorm, where she quickly changed. She finished pinning her hair into place in a tight bun as she watched her reflection. She had originally made her dress for another outing months earlier, but it still fit her well enough for the evening's ball. Made from a gold satin-like material, it followed the curves of her body from chest to toe. The softened square neckline was lined with a thick trim which went over her shoulders to become her straps, falling down her back to reach the matching softened square line that bound the dress together just below the curve of her back. Checking to make sure that all her bits were in place, she left the mirror and made her way down to the great-hall.

Her way to the great-hall was solitary, most students and faculty were already there. As she neared the room she heard the familiar music of a string quartet. She smiled, suddenly looking forward to the ball despite having had to leave Snape.

She turned a corner and began to make her way down the final set of stairs before the great-hall. As she walked down, the heels of her gold sandals made a soft clicking sound and the back hem of her dress floated out behind her. As she descended, a figure cut out into the entrance ahead of her. Dressed in black formalwear and looking uncomfortable, Snape made his way towards the door before glancing in her direction. When he did, he paused. Smiling at him, she made her way towards him.

"You look –" He began, but stopped. He stared at her.

"Thank you." She said after realizing he wasn't going to finish his sentence. "I should get in there – wouldn't want to leave George waiting."

He nodded, realizing that she was right. She walked ahead of him into the room where the rest of the school had congregated. He watched her as she went. She smiled, knowing that as she walked away he would see the naked skin of her back.

She entered the ballroom. There were students dancing already – Harry among them. She smiled and waved as she saw Neville and Ginny dancing, both of whom waved back. She looked past the throng of dancers to try and find George. At the opposite side of the room, he sat with his brother and Angelina. A thin blond boy sat at the table next to them with several others, ignoring the twins.

Jane made her way around the dance floor to where they sat. As she approached George looked up. Upon seeing her, he paused, staring as she came forward. When she reached the table he continued to stare. Although she was smiling, she squinted.

"What?" She asked, suspicious.

"Holy crap." He replied.

She looked at him, eyes widening. The tips of his ears turned slightly more pink than their normal shade. He averted his eyes.

"Holy crap?"

"I mean, you look nice." He said, the crimson shade deepening and spreading to his cheeks. She laughed.

"So do you." She said, sitting down next to him. "Have I missed much?"

"Nope. The dancing just started. And I saved you some food." He said, pulling a plate towards her as he plucked the napkin off of it.

She examined the offering. Mashed potatoes, vegetables, and some miscellaneous meats cluttered the nearly overflowing plate.

"I wanted to make sure you had enough." He said, noticing the look she gave it.

She looked up at her date. Despite his formalwear, he still managed to look thrown together. His orange hair fell into his wide, hazel eyes, and a button on his shirt was undone. She grinned.

"Thanks." She replied.

"Hey!" Came a voice from behind them.

Jane and George turned to see Neville coming towards them.

"You're here early." He said to Jane.

At that moment, the boy at the next table turned to face them. His eyes narrowed and the corners of his lips curled up.

"I hope you don't mind George, but at some point I'm going to have to steal Jane for a dance." He said jovially.

The thin blond boy began cackling.

"Don't you think she's a little out of your league Longbottom?" He asked between laughs.

Neville's face fell slightly before anger rose up in it. Jane turned to face the boy, looking him in the eyes, ready to defend her friend.

I know him.

The revelation stunned her silent.

"I mean, I know she pretends to be your friend, but there's a reason she isn't here with you." He continued.

Neville's face drained of its colour. She had to act.

"Do I know you?" She asked the boy

He stopped laughing long enough to look at her.

"Not yet. But you will need to if you ever want to improve upon your current social circle." He said.

"I doubt that. But, considering that I don't know you, and don't intend to make an effort to do so, would you mind horribly leaving me and my friends the hell alone?" She replied coolly.

The boy looked at her face, examining it for a sign of her joking. Finding none, the colour in his face drained. He looked almost ready to challenge her, but stopped as she caught his gaze in hers. Instead he turned around, back to his table. Jane returned her attention to Neville.

"I would love to dance."

Several hours later, the ball was winding down. Jane had enjoyed herself, spending most of the evening chatting with George, but occasionally dancing. Neville and Ginny had sat with them, and the four of them (Fred and Angelina had mysteriously disappeared) had fun. Harry and Ron had come over to sit with them, neither feeling much like dancing, but their dour moods had been unwelcome. After only a few minutes, Ginny and Neville, as with Jane and George, made their way on to the dance floor, leaving the other two to pout.

"What's with those two?" Asked George as he placed his arms around her, slightly uncomfortable at touching her skin.

Jane turned to the boys – each were staring out at the dancers with a contemptuous look on their face. Ron towards Hermione, and Harry towards Cedric.

"I haven't the slightest idea." She responded, lying. She did not want George gaining ammunition for mocking his younger brother.

As Jane and George danced, Harry stood up and walked out of the room. Hermione, noticing this, left the dance floor to go see Ron, her date following. Jane watched them whenever she could face them. After a moment of them chatting, Ron stood angrily. He took several steps towards Hermione's date and said something to him. Hermione's date said something to Hermione, turned and then walked away. Ron turned back to Hermione, who started to yell at him.

"Uh oh." Jane said to George, pulling back from him. He turned to see the scene.

Ron and Hermione were pointing fingers at one another, clearly having a fight. After saying something undistinguishable to him, she turned and walked away, heading towards the door. Ron followed.

Jane gave George a concerned look, which he matched. They followed after them, making their way through the crowd of dancers.

"You always ruin everything!" Hermione shouted at Ron, loud enough for Jane and George to hear.

By the time the two of them had emerged from the ballroom, Hermione had stormed off, leaving Ron standing in the entrance to the great-hall, slightly purple.

"But – that's ridiculous." He muttered to himself.

George came up behind his younger brother, placing a hand on his shoulder. Ron turned to him.

"Did you hear that? Can you believe her? She's being completely insane!" He said loudly.

George nodded. Ron continued. As Ron talked, George looked over at Jane with apologetic eyes. He began to walk with his brother towards the Griffyndor common-room. Jane nodded, understanding his unsaid reasoning.

She turned around to face the ballroom, but decided against returning. The evening was winding down, and the only people left were couples. Instead of going into the room and sitting alone before heading up to bed, she decided to go for a walk. Turning in the opposite direction that George and Ron had taken, she headed towards the courtyard.

As she reached the center of the school, she rested against a large stone pillar, turning her head up and looking at the night sky. As she stared, she heard footsteps approaching. She glanced over her shoulder to see Snape coming towards her.

Smiling at him, she returned her gaze to the stars.

She felt him as he came up behind her, as close as they had been earlier in the night.

"You must be cold." He said, pressing his body towards her exposed back, shielding her from the cold December air.

"Thanks." She said. She continued looking towards the sky in silence.

"You look stunning." He said softly into her ear.

"Thank you." She replied without looking at him. "George's response was 'Holy crap'."

"He thought you looked stunning too." He said in a voice she couldn't quite place after a moment of silence.

"Did he now?"

"Yes."

She sighed, letting herself lean back against him. Her eyes remained upturned.

"He has feelings for you." Snape said, his voice smaller than usual.

"And how would you know that?" She asked, gently mocking him

"The way he looked at you. All night. You only look at someone like that if you care for them." He explained with a soft tone.

"And that must mean he loves me." She replied, still mocking him.

He was silent.

"Oh, come on now." She said, elbowing him. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" He asked.

"Yes. Just because someone watches someone else doesn't mean that they're in love with them." She said after a moment of silence.

He remained without words.

"I mean, come on. You were watching him all night. You don't love him now, do you?" She asked, still joking.

"No." He replied after a moment of hesitation.

"See?"

"But I only noticed him because I was watching you." He said quickly, trying to argue his case, before he could realize the implication.

It took her a moment to absorb what he had said. She stiffened a little, unintentionally lifting her body from his.

"Oh." She said, suddenly uncomfortable. Her stomach clenched itself and released with a slight spasm.

His hands found her arms and rubbed them.

"Have a Merry Christmas." He said, squeezing her before releasing her and walking away.