"Potter! Weasley! Miss Watkins! Will you pay attention?"
Bryt jumped and spun around in her chair towards the front of the class. She had been sitting backwards in her chair, balancing it on its back two legs so its back was resting against Harry and Ron's desk. Harry and Ron had been having a sword fight with fake wands(Harry's turning into a rubber haddock and Ron's a tin parrot) and Bryt had been cheering them on. She had lost her own fake wand some time ago or else she would have joined into the fight.
McGonagall had a stern look on her face and Bryt sighed, trying to ignore the disapproving look Hermione had next to her.
"Now that these three have been kind enough to act their age," McGonagall said shortly, "I have something to say to you all.
"The Yule Ball is approaching—a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. Now, the ball will be open to fourth years and above—although you may invite a younger student if you wish—"
'Now we know what we need the dress robes for,' Bryt thought, glaring over at Lavender as the girl began giggling loudly. Parvati nudged Lavender, and both glanced towards Harry. Bryt rolled her eyes, finding it unfair that McGonagall ignored the girls when she had told off Harry, Ron, and Bryt moments before.
"Dress robes will be worn," McGonagall said, confirming Bryt's thoughts, "And the ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. Now then..." McGonagall paused to cast another stern look around at her students. "The Yule Ball is of course a chance for us all to—er—let our hair down."
Lavender giggled again and Bryt rolled her eyes. She sometimes got overly annoyed at how Lavender and Parvati acted.
"But that does not mean," McGonagall continued and Bryt looked back at her, "That we will be relaxing the standards of behavior we expected from Hogwarts students. I will be most seriously displeased if a Gryffindor student embarrasses the school in any way."
The bell rang and Bryt got up, slinging her school bag over her shoulder.
"Potter—a word, if you please," McGonagall said.
Bryt, Hermione, and Ron all looked over at Harry, who glanced down at the headless haddock in his hand.
"We'll wait," Bryt said, heading out of the classroom with the rest of the Gryffindors.
"Do you think this is about the fake wand fight?" Ron asked once they were alone outside the Transfiguration classroom.
"When will you three ever grow up?" Hermione asked with a sigh. Bryt chose to ignore the comment.
"If it was about that, we'd be in there, too," Bryt pointed out, looking back at Ron, "It has to be about somethin' else."
A minute later, Harry came out, looking almost sick.
"Harry? What's wrong?" Hermione asked as they started towards the Great Hall for lunch.
"The Champions apparently open the Yule Ball," Harry said weakly, "They have to dance...With, er...their partners."
Ron started laughing and Bryt and Hermione glared at him. Sometimes he could be far too insensitive.
"You have to dance in front of the entire school?" Ron asked and Harry nodded, swallowing hard.
"Don't worry too much about it," Bryt said gently, patting Harry on the back, "And if you don't manage to find a date, Hermione or I can go with you. Y'know, as a friend."
Harry and Ron both stared at the girls and Bryt grinned.
"I don't plan on goin' with anyone," she said, though in the back of her mind, she was already trying to decide if she should get the courage to ask Ron, "And I doubt Hermione'd take anyone as a date."
"I'm not about to betray Julio," Hermione said simply.
"I thought you said your mum wanted you home for Christmas this year," Ron said to Bryt, who shrugged.
"Yule Ball's once in a life time," she said, "I think this'll count as a good excuse this year. Next year, however, I'll most likely have to come home no matter what party or dance is bein' thrown."
xxxxx
"I don't know why everyone is making such a big deal out of the Yule Ball," Ginny said one afternoon when she and Bryt were sitting together in the common room, Bryt helping Ginny out with a Potions assignment.
"Trust me, I don't get it either," Bryt said with a sigh. The very night after the Yule Ball was announced, Lavender and Parvati spent hours talking about their dress robes and who they'd like to ask them to the Yule Ball. They had tried to get Bryt and Hermione to join into the conversation. After Bryt replied that she didn't care who went with who and didn't see the big deal about showing off dress robes that would most likely only be worn once, however, the two girls seemed annoyed and didn't try invite Bryt and Hermione into their conversations again.
"At least you'll actually get to go," Ginny said, sounding annoyed. Bryt glanced over at her.
"Someone could ask you," she said. Ginny shrugged in response as Hermione sat down at their small table.
"You okay, 'mione?" Bryt asked, noticing the odd look on her friend's face.
"I just got asked to the Yule Ball by the most unexpected person," Hermione answered.
"Who?" Bryt and Ginny asked together.
Hermione glanced around, then leaned forward.
"Viktor Krum."
"Seriously?" Bryt asked, dumbfounded, "Viktor Krum?" The Viktor Krum? Quidditch star and Durmstrang champion? He had actually asked Hermione to the Yule Ball? Bryt couldn't remember ever seeing the two talk. In fact, the only time Bryt ever knew them to be in the same room were when they were on opposite sides of the library, and Hermione constantly complaining about him and his fan club.
"What did you say?" Ginny asked.
"No, of course," Hermione replied, looking at Ginny as if it were obvious, "I told him that I have a boyfriend already and I wasn't planning on going with anyone to the Yule Ball."
"Of course," Bryt said, "I don't have a boyfriend, but I still don't plan on goin' with anyone, either."
"Er...G-Ginny?"
All three girls looked up to see Neville standing at the table. Bryt blinked, wondering how long he had been standing there and how much of their conversation he had overheard.
"Yes, Neville?" Ginny asked.
"Can...Can I talk to you a moment?" Neville asked nervously, glancing between Bryt and Hermione, his face turning red.
"Sure," Ginny said, putting down her quill and standing up, walking off with Neville towards the other side of the common room.
"You don't have to keep that promise to Harry, Bryt," Hermione said once Ginny and Neville were gone.
"What?" Bryt asked, looking back at her friend.
"You can always ask someone to the Yule Ball, you know," Hermione said with a knowing look, "Like Ron, maybe."
Bryt felt the heat rushing to her face. Over the past couple of days, Bryt had been thinking a lot about the very thing. She liked the idea of her and Ron going together to the Yule Ball, and as an actual date instead of just friends. She also had a feeling Ron would never be on the same mindset, so she wasn't about to ask Ron and make their friendship go south.
Before she could say any of this to Hermione, Ginny had come back, sitting down next to Bryt again.
"I'll be going to the Yule Ball after all," Ginny said, though she didn't seem too thrilled about the idea.
"Neville asked you?" Hermione asked.
Ginny nodded. "I figured I won't be going any other way," she said, "So I told him yes."
"Well, think of it this way, Ginny," Bryt said, noticing the girl still seemed a bit down, "You got a date before Ron did."
Ginny grinned at that, seeming to cheer up some. Bryt had a feeling that Ginny was down because of the crush she had on her mystery boy. Ginny most likely had been hoping that boy would ask her. Bryt knew the feeling. It was the same with her and Ron.
'I really should just suck it up and ask him myself,' Bryt thought, 'What harm could it do?'
Well, it could completely ruin their friendship for starters. If Ron didn't share Bryt's feelings, and Bryt let him know, there would always be that awkwardness between them. Something that could never be ignored.
'I'll just say we can go as friends,' Bryt told herself, 'I won't say it's a date.'
With that thought, Bryt made up her mind. If Ron didn't get a date for the Yule Ball, Bryt would agree to go with him as a friend. Bryt couldn't help but feel a little guilty as she found herself hoping that Ron wouldn't be able to get anyone to go with him.
Deciding to distract herself from the thoughts, Bryt turned back to helping Ginny with her homework and making sure their conversation with Hermione didn't steer back to the Yule Ball again. Thankfully, both of them seemed just as unwilling to talk on the Yule Ball as Bryt was.
xxxxx
Bryt and Hermione spent more time with Ginny over the next week as Harry and Ron stayed on their own, but always came back that afternoon still without dates to the Yule Ball. Bryt found herself always being quick to ask when they arrived, and felt both guilty and happy when Ron would grumpily reply that he didn't have any success.
Though Bryt was becoming increasingly annoyed with the constant talk of the Yule Ball, she was enjoying how some of their teachers were letting up on the classwork, mostly letting students play games and talk among themselves instead of doing work. Other teachers(such as McGonagall, Moody, and Snape) were acting as if the Yule Ball wasn't coming up and treated classes as they had always been. Snape had even announced that he was going to give them a test on antidotes on their class of the term.
"Evil, he is," Ron hissed the afternoon after Snape announced the test, "Springing a test on us on the last day. Ruining the last bit of term with a whole load of studying."
"Though you're not exactly gettin' to that," Bryt said as she looked up from their Potions notes. Ron was across from Bryt, building a card house with Exploding Snap cards(that Bryt had 'accidentally' knocked down twice to annoy him) while Harry was stretched across the nearby couch, reading Flying with the Cannons.
"It's Christmas, Bryt," Harry said, not even looking up from his book.
Hermione looked up from her own notes, glaring at Harry.
"I'd have thought you'd be doing something constructive, Harry, even if you don't want to learn your antidotes!"
"Like what?"
"That egg!"
"Come on, Hermione, I've got till February twenty-fourth."
"But it might take weeks to work it out!" Hermione said, annoyed at how Harry seemed not to care about the second task approaching, "You're going to look like a real idiot if everyone else knows what the next task is and you don't!"
"Leave him alone, Hermione, he's earned a bit of a break," Ron said. He was just placing the last two cards on his house when the cards finally blew, singeing his eyebrows. Bryt started giggling, gaining a glare from Ron.
"Nice look, Ron...Go well with your dress robes, that will."
Bryt looked up to see Fred and George had come over and sat down with them.
"Ron, can we borrow Pigwidgeon?" George asked.
"No, he's off delivering a letter," Ron replied, referring to how the small owl was still off from when the four had sent off a detailed letter to Sirius after the first task, "Why?"
"Because George wants to invite him to the ball," Fred replied sarcastically.
"Because we want to send a letter, you stupid great prat," George added.
"You can borrow Joey," Bryt said, "I'm not expectin' to send any letters anytime soon."
Bryt had gotten a letter from her parents that morning, her mother expressing her strong dislike of letting Bryt stay at Hogwarts to attend a dance, after missing the past two family Christmases. Bryt knew she was going to have to do something big to make it up to her mother this time.
"Thank you, Bryt," George said with a grin.
"So..." Fred said, "You lot got dates for the ball yet?"
"Nope," Ron answered. Again, Bryt had the mixed feeling of joy and guilt.
"Well, you'd better hurry up, mate, or all the good ones will be gone."
"Who're you going with, then?"
"Angelina," Fred said simply.
"What?" Ron asked, obviously surprised, "You've already asked her?"
"Good point," Fred said, turning and looking around the common room until he spotted Angelina talking with Alicia, "Oi! Angelina!"
"What?" she called back once she spotted Fred.
"Want to come to the ball with me?"
Angelina stared at Fred for a second, then nodded.
"All right, then," she said, turning back to Alicia with a smile. Bryt shook her head. It took a special type of person to ask someone on a date by yelling across a crowded room at them.
"There you go," Fred said, turning back to the group, "Piece of cake."
"Thanks again for letting us borrow Joey, Bryt," George said, standing up. He and Fred headed off with that.
"We should get a move on, you know...ask someone," Ron said, looking at Harry, "He's right."
"At least you know you have us if you don't get dates," Bryt said, keeping her head down to try and hide the blush she could already feel heating her cheeks.
"Yeah, we do," Ron said and the tone made Bryt look up to see Ron was staring intently at her with an odd expression.
"What?" Bryt asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Nothing," Ron said quickly, going to clean up his Exploding Snap cards and Hermione gave an annoyed sigh next to Bryt. Bryt glanced over at her, but Hermione only shook her head and went back to her notes.
Bryt turned her attention back to Ron, watching him pack away the cards. The way he had been staring at her...Maybe Bryt should just ask Ron right now for them to go together. Bryt started to open her mouth to do just that, but cut herself off before she could.
'If Ron really wanted to go to the Yule Ball with me, he would have asked me already,' Bryt thought, looking down at her Potions notes and trying hard to keep her thoughts away from going to the ball with the red-haired boy across from her.
xxxxx
As the end of the term grew closer, the staff seemed determined to make sure the castle was even cleaner than before, with the Christmas decorations more impressive than Bryt remembered from the past two years. Icicles that were enchanted to never melt were hung on the staircase at the entrance hall and the dozen Christmas trees were decorated much more lively than usual as well. Even the suit of armors were enchanted to sing carols, though they seemed to know only half the words and Peeves had taken it on himself to fill in the blanks with very rude versions.
With moods so high, Bryt was very relieved when their last class of the term, Potions, finally came to an end. She was sure she did well on the test on antidotes, as Bryt was always quite good with potions, so her mood was especially great as they started up the stairs for dinner.
Harry had taken off right after the class, saying he'd meet them at dinner, and when Bryt and Hermione sat down, they both realized Ron was no longer with them as well.
"I wonder where he went..." Bryt said, looking around the crowded Great Hall. Over the past few months, the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students had started to spread out, so now there was the occasional blue or red robe scattered throughout the sea of black instead of the huge group from Halloween.
"Maybe he forgot something in the classroom," Hermione said, "I'm sure he'll show up soon."
But neither Harry nor Ron had shown up by the time Bryt and Hermione were done eating. The girls found their friends in the common room, sitting with Ginny, and all three seeming in bad moods.
"You okay?" Bryt asked as she and Hermione sat down with them, "Why weren't you at dinner?"
"They've both just been turned down by the girls they asked to the ball," Ginny answered for them.
An odd feeling rushed through Bryt at the thought of Ron asking another girl to the Yule Ball. She glanced across the room with a glare, wondering if one of them had been the one. Then, Bryt remembered Ron's crush on the Beauxbatons Champion.
'He hides every time Delacour comes around, though,' Bryt thought, 'He wouldn't be stupid enough to ask her to the ball.'
"I think we should just go with your offer, Bryt," Harry said with a sigh, "Ron and I aren't about to get dates anytime soon."
"What offer?" Ginny asked curiously.
"Hermione and I said that if Ron and Harry didn't get dates, we'd go with them as friends," Bryt explained, "Since Hermione is datin' Julio, so wouldn't go with anyone anyway, and there ain't anyone I'm interested in goin' with."
'Besides Ron,' Bryt added silently, her mood lifting. This would be her chance to go with Ron and have him think it was simply as a friendly gesture.
"Besides, Harry has to have a date since he's a champion," Hermione added.
"So you two can come with us," Ron said simply, looking between Bryt and Hermione. Bryt grinned, adjusting the headband around her hair. This was her chance. Only four simple words and she'd have her date set with Ron, even if it was just going as friends.
Then Bryt thought of the mystery girl that Ron had asked to the Yule Ball...
"I'll go with Harry," the words were out of Bryt's mouth quicker than she could really consider them.
Bryt took a deep breath as she felt everyone at the table staring at her with looks mixed between confusion and surprise. Bryt was going to have to think up an excuse fast. Good thing Bryt had grown used to this the year before when explaining away Hermione's sudden disappearances when using the time turner.
"Think about it," Bryt said, "Most of the school already thinks Harry and I are datin', so it won't be any big deal. If I go with Ron, and Hermione with Harry, it might start up new stuff, and that Skeeter woman might find out, and start a new article on how one, or both, of us are some type of cheatin' scum."
Bryt took a deep breath, realizing she had rushed her explanation out without a single breath. She noticed that Ginny was staring intently at something on the table, and Ron was looking oddly disappointed, but before Bryt could say anything more, Harry spoke up.
"You do remember we have to dance together in front of the entire school, right?"
Bryt turned back to Harry, grinning a little as she shrugged.
"Yes, but how bad can it be?"