Author's Note: I am glad that you guys liked the previous chapter, but I admit I appreciate the new alerts and things like that. I just wish more people would comment on their opinions towards what is going on, and what they want from the whole story itself. I mean 400 visitors, I want to know what you think!

~Of Silver and Gold~

Chapter 37: Date

She threw her books to the side, the moment that she reached the common room. She had not listened to a single thing in Defense Against the Dark Arts because of Potter. That, that idiot! She was fuming at the thought of having to know that he was out at the ball while she was forced to stay behind because of her age. Being a third year had no advantages as far as she knew.

Throwing herself dramatically against the couch, she tried not to pout. Her foul mood made her oblivious to her friends entering the common room laughing. Lifting her gaze she tilted her head signaling them to explain what was so funny.

"Honestly he looked like he had a stick up his arse as he danced" Draco said laughing.

Seeing his sister, he simply threw himself beside her and laid his arm over her shoulder pulling her close. Her pout had shifted into a small smile. She immediately knew who it was and leaned towards him.

"Who was dancing?" she asked against his neck. She figured it was best to just be distracted with gossip than dwell on her own anger.

"Potter of course."

Soon her lighter mood had dampened once more. Soon Pansy ran into the room panting.

"Merlin Angel I was looking all over you! I can't believe you just-"

"Just what Pans?" Draco asked.

As soon as Pansy saw Draco she tried to catch her breath and look as if she wasn't worn out.

"I forgot I had to meet up with her" Angel said.

Draco turned to face her and shrugged. He too often times forgot about Pansy and plans that she set up (sometimes without actually telling the other person). Still, to stop a row from happening, he lifted his hand to stop whatever rant might be coming their way.

"Well she was here all the time Pans, calm yourself down"

"Worry wart" Blaise added as he smirked her way.

She huffed and sat down placing her hand on her chest. Her cheeks were red, meaning she had rushed ovewr here; Angel tried not to feel guilty for simply rushing off.

"What were we talking about before I came?"

"About Potter's horrid dancing" Draco said amused.

"Oh?" Pansy said, not to discreetly looking at Angel. "How bad?"

Draco merely smirked and muttered something, soon the music began.

"This bad, come on Pans get up" Draco said.

Pansy smiled immediately and got up giving him her hand. Soon he began to mock Potter's dancing making all in the room laugh, even Angel who couldn't stop it. While many thought her brother was inconsiderate, he was in reality a caring person.

"Come on" Blaise said.

She looked up to see him tugging her up and towards his chest so they could dance. He wasn't goofing around, as he pulled her to him and began to move to the music. She bit her bottom lip as they began to move, for she might have taken dance lessons, but she was still nervous about dancing.

"Relax" Blaise whispered.

She lifted her head and looked at him staring at her intently. She nodded and soon they flowed across the common room as if it was nothing. She stumbled slightly, but nothing too big, soon her mind had gone away from Potter and moved towards how fun this was.

"You got the hang of it." Blaise said softly. Her cheeks reddened at the compliment and allowed herself to be twirled.

She thought of how easy it would have been if she had gone after Blaise; he was handsome, charming and so seemingly knowledgeable about the world. He wasn't argumentative, nor passive either, he knew how to make her feel better. Especially as he kissed her cheek. It was true, if she had a choice she would have wanted to like Blaise more than just a friend. But Harry...he was just so easy to love. He was a boy that had so little in life that all he could give was his heart. And she fell for that easily, seemingly finding another broken and imperfect person that matched her yet tested her identity. Her thoughts dissipated as Draco walked over.

"Yo! My turn" Draco said and soon brother and sister were dancing.

They moved easily, knowing each other's weaknesses when it came to dancing.

"Ouch Blaise!" Pansy cried out.

Angel smirked and leaned against Draco as he turned the music off knowing it had ended. He held her close, showing his brotherly side, that reminded her that despite their ages, they were still close.

"That was fun" she said.

"It was, until Blaise's big troll like steps, stepped on me" Pansy whined.

"Get over it princess" Blaise said rolling his eyes.

"So are we all staying for the Christmas break?" Pansy asked.

"Nope" Angel said.

"What?" Draco said surprised. "You can leave!"

Angel shrugged.

"There's no reason for me to stay like you guys. I can't go to the Yule Ball, so I'd rather spend my Christmas over with mum and dad." She said.

Soon she felt Blaise on his knees in front of her, his eyes shining with mischievousness. Her raised her brow, all the more so as he grasped her hand and tugged her closer.

"My darling, my love, my Angel, do go to the ball with me" he said dramatically.

She kicked him away amused, her cheeks flushed. Their friendship had gotten better but there were moments with his teasing on romance that made her nervous. Plus there was one important factor he had obviously forgotten.

"And Daphne?" she asked.

"Oh right…I'll break everything for you my dear!"

Before she'd be in an awkward position, but now knowing how they goofed around, she smirked shaking her head.

"Sign up!" Pansy said.

"No thanks" Angel said getting up.

"But-"

"No Draco" she repeated as she grabbed her books.

"But"

"I'm going to go study for Transfiguration, you talk amongst yourselves"

Soon she was upstairs reading her book and not thinking about how she was going to have a cruddy Christmas. She refused to be pitied during the Christmas season. Maybe if she played her cards right she'd go out of the country and avoid this awkwardness.

After realizing she wouldn't be able to study properly, she decided that she might as well get ready for bed. She slipped into her nightgown once more and let go of her hair, letting it fall into soft curls. Soon she allowed herself to fall asleep, as soon as she hit the pillow.

Next Morning…

Pansy was running. She hated running. Despite this, she knew that she needed to reach Angel as fast as possible. As soon as she read the newspaper, she knew that she needed to show it to her.

"Angel!" She ran into the door.

She expected Angel to be in her bed sleeping as she usually did, but today it wasn't the case. Her bed was made, with Coeur sleeping atop of it. She looked around, and saw that she wasn't there.

"Angel?"

"Hold up Pansy!" she heard her scream out.

She sat on the bed and waited for her friend. As the door opened, and steam came out she knew that her friend was getting ready for the day. Angel walked out in a towel, with her hair up in a towel as well.

"Merlin, what's wrong with you?" she asked.

"Hear this:

It seems that Mr. Potter is no longer as alone as we thought.

The day before the first task was he seen smooching with a

Young lady. She was a pretty thing, but sadly our camera

Could not get a good look at her. What we do know is that

She calls herself Mr. Potter's number one fan.

What we can tell you is that we will keep our eye out for this girl."

As Pansy read, Angel had begun to get dressed. She had slipped on her undergarments, her blouse and was zipping up her skirt as Pansy finished the story.

"Well?" Angel said avoiding her gaze.

"Well? You need to be more careful that's well!" Pansy said frustrated.

Angel blushed but tried to ignore it.

"Did they get a picture of me?" she asked.

"They got his" Pansy said showing her the heart shape photo of Harry leaning down for what would be Angel.

"You can't tell it's me. Thank Merlin." She whispered.

Pansy stayed quiet, something that didn't comfort Angel much. Waiting for her friend to say something was merely met with more silence. It was clear she had a thought in her head and was unsure if sharing was right. Humming softly, Angel took the bait:

"What are you thinking?" She asked curiously as she sat in front of her vanity.

"Well…would it be so bad if people knew?" she asked.

Angel was in the midst of brushing her hair when she heard this and immediately turned around. Her brush went back on the vanity and her hands gripped her knees unsure as if she had heard right.

"Are you bonkers?" Angel exclaimed. "The moment that this happens I'll get disowned by everyone. No, not possible." Shaking her head, she waved her hand signaling she was over the conversation and was beginning to shut down.

But it was clear that Pansy wasn't having it.

"So, you are going to keep your boyfriend a secret?" Pansy asked gripping the newspaper tightly.

"He's not my boyfriend" Angel corrected her.

"No thanks to you. You were the one that mucked it all up. You should've just forgiven him and kept it at that. I wouldn't have broken up with Draco if he had done something like that."

Angel looked away feeling that Pansy had just headed towards a sore spot for her. Yes she regretted breaking up with him, because if they would have stayed together, she would have been the girl he would be taking to the ball..right?

"It was for the best" she said not only to get Pansy to believe it, but make herself believe it too. Her tone was clear that she was getting annoyed.

"Liar. Right now he would be taking you to the ball and making everyone realize you are his girlfriend. Right now you're just a girl that he gets snogs from!"

"Enough!" Angel growled.

The slam of her hands on her vanity and the hiss from the familiar in the room made it clear that Pansy had crossed the line and the conversation was truly going to lead to an argument. Angel's downfall was always her temper and Pansy knew what buttons to avoid to stop an argument but it seemed she couldn't control her own thoughts.

Pansy knew that she had gone too far, but Angel needed to realize that she had messed up. Neither spoke for a few moments and Angel continued to brush her hair ignoring the tenseness of the bedroom. Delicately her hands placed the brush back to its place and sighed knowing she had to say something.

"I know I was stupid okay? I just…I wasn't ready. I didn't want to be hated by my brother, or Blaise, or anyone I care about." Angel said softly.

"You're being stupid" Pansy agreed.

"Maybe," Angel shrugged. "But I'd rather be stupid than abandoned."

Pansy frowned but said nothing. She couldn't understand her friend, but she wouldn't judge.

"You'll get back together you'll see" she said trying to be a good friend.

"I doubt it." She replied her tone a bit melancholy. "But thanks."

Pansy got up and placed her hands on her shoulder turning her around. Delicately her hands moved to play with her hair and she smiled softly.

"I need to send a letter to my parents, want me to take something for you?" Pansy asked trying to shift to something else.

"Sure" she said and halfheartedly handed her the letter.

"I love you Angel. Please think about what we talked about okay?" Pansy said leaving Angel along with her thoughts.

...

As she left her behind Pansy sighed. She hated having to put everything in perspective for her young friend. She knew that Angel loved Potter, in her own definition of love and she couldn't judge that because she loved Draco. She felt that if Angel was afraid to let people know about Harry, then she shouldn't even think of having a future with him.

She loved drama, something that brought some excitement in her life, but seeing that most of the drama came from Angel and Potter, and how it clearly affected her friend more than the Gryffindor, it was no longer fun.

By the time she reached the Owlery she decided that she would do something about it. As she reached her familiar Tuffsy, she wrapped the letter around her foot and sent her on her way. She then tied the other letter to Fortis and send him on his way too.

Before she left, she heard voices and stayed quiet to hear what was going on.

"Cho …Willyougototheballwithme?" she heard someone say.

"I'm sorry Harry…what?" she asked.

Pansy found herself thinking the same thing as she pressed herself against the wall to continue hearing. Her eyes were wide, surprised to have walked into such an intimate conversation. She felt her heart clench as she thought about her best friend.

'Oh Angel' she thought sadly. 'I'm so sorry'

…

"D'you-d-you want to go to the ball with me?" Harry repeated finding himself flushing at having to properly ask.

"Oh!" Cho exclaimed turning red as well. Her hands went to twirl her hair, a way of showing her nervousness he supposed. "I'm sorry Harry…I've already said I'll go with someone else"

"Oh.." he whispered feeling like a fool. "Oh okay…no problem."

"I'm really sorry." She said again.

He found that he couldn't really look up to her, too embarrassed to even make eye contact again and feel stupid. Of course she had a date. A girl like her? Absolutely.

"That's okay" he replied.

"Well…I should go" she said softly.

"Okay….who're you going with?" he asked.

"Cedric" she replied and left.

As he was left alone…he felt nothing. He had finally had the courage to ask a girl, Cho no less and he was rejected.

"Merlin I'm a fool" he said.

"You are" he heard a voice say.

He lifted his head to see Pansy Parkinson glaring at him. They usually didn't talk, ever…they merely insulted one another. The only thing they had in common was Angel.

"Don't you even think of getting near Angel" she growled her hands gripping letters very tightly.

"W-what?" he asked confused.

Pansy clearly was not taking his question well as she walked closer to him. She was angry, her cheeks were red and she pointing at him.

"You're such an idiot Potter, and she's an idiot too, thinking that you actually cared for her." She hissed.

He frowned and found himself glaring at her. They barely talked and now she was judging him? He wasn't the most argumentative person but he was not going to take this lightly.

"I do care about her!"

"Then why did you ask Cho?" she asked softly.

Her disappointment was evident from her tone.

"B-because I need a date and-and"

"And you actually like Cho Chang" Pansy said shaking her head. "Of course you do"

Shaking her head she walked over to her own familiar and tied the letters against her own letting it fly off on its own. Turning over to look at him, he took note at how disappointed she looked at him.

He looked away not wanting to be judged by her. Still she said nothing but he could feel her looking at him.

"You know Angel is my best friend right?" she asked.

He nodded and gulped.

"If I tell her this...she'll be so hurt"

He closed his eyes and felt a pain in his chest again. This was the pain he expected he should have felt before. He had hurt her…but..

"She hurts me all the time" he blurted out finally turning to look at Pansy who looked surprised.

Her lips parted in an 'O' of surprise before she caught herself and shook her head.

"So let me get this straight...you say you care about my friend, and yet you want to bring her pain because she had sent it your way before? There is no way that you care about a person if you want to hurt them. She's wasting her time on you."

"I-I care about her okay. But she's not my girlfriend anymore…she made sure of that. And I needed a date that wouldn't be ashamed of me."

Pansy leaned against the frame of the door and sighed shaking her head.

"I can't believe I was wrong." She said. "She did make the right decision. Damn her, she's always right isn't she?"

She laughed softly shaking her head in disbelief.

"What?" he asked.

"You know I was rooting for you. I even fought with her this morning for being stupid. She says she cares about you but it was best that you broke up. And I was telling her she should have given you a shot, but I was wrong. Clearly it was best that you two broke up." Removing herself from the wall she continued. "Both of you are too different….I thought that it would be cute for you two to end up together like Romeo and Juliet but I was wrong." She said shaking her head.

"We aren't too different" Harry protested."We have a lot in common, just in a way that you don't see it."

Pansy looked at him confused. Just what was he on about.

"How can you fight me on this? I care about my best friend and it's clear to me you are toxic for one another."

"We aren't...t-toxic" he protested a bit confused about what she meant. " And I love her!" Harry said.

Pansy stood up straighter.

"What?" she said. "Do you really?"

Her blue eyes brightened considerably hearing his words. She always had a soft spot for the L-word.

"I think so" he whispered.

Her eyes hardened once more.

"I'll take that as a no" she huffed.

"I care about her…she was there when I needed someone okay?" he said.

"Were you using her because you needed comfort?" she asked.

Immediately he shook his head no.

"I see.."

"Parkinson, I really care about her. She believes in me."

"And she shouldn't" Pansy replied immediately.

Harry frowned knowing that he ruined everything. In the moment of silence he heard her say something.

"Do you want to be her boyfriend?" she asked suddenly.

He nodded looking confused. She snorted and shook her head.

"Then why do this? Why ask Cho?" Her hands moved around pointing at the door that Cho had clearly taken as an exit minutes ago.

"I-I wanted to know if I even stood a chance..if this was just a crush." He said.

"And?" she pressed on.

"It doesn't hurt as much as it should have been." He admitted.

He was surprised that he was having a heart to heart with Pansy but he was. They were now both sitting at the steps of the Owlery.

"What did you feel?" he found her asking.

"Like nothing."

"Nothing?" she repeated.

"Yeah."

"…what did you feel when Angel asked to end things?" she asked.

He looked down at the stairs thinking about it.

"At first I was relieved that she hadn't turned on me and it was all in my head. But when I thought it was all fixed and I tried to hug her and she moved back, I realized I had really hurt her." He paused and looked at the blue eyed witch curiously. "You know..she had this look, so disappointed. Like I had ruined some image she had of me. That hurt the most when she said the words to break up with me. Like I had ruined this image she had of me."

Pansy lifted her hand to her chest, feeling pity for Harry. She sighed; those two were too messed up.

"You know she loves you right?" she said.

He shrugged unsure at this moment.

"Hey.." she got his attention again. "I mean it, she really cares for you...and I won't tell her this Potter."

He lifted his head and let out a small smile to her thanking her.

"But!" she stopped him, lifting her finger to shush him. "But don't you dare ask her out to the Ball."

Soon his smile disappeared.

"But she-"

"Oh she'll go." She said smirking. "Do you honestly think that a girl like her won't be asked?"

He frowned.

"Why wouldn't someone ask her to the ball?" she asked.

"I can't see a reason why they wouldn't" Harry said feeling hurt.

"Imagine someone asking her out and taking her to the ball" she added.

He felt a pang in his chest and his frown deepened.

"Stop" he whispered.

"Well someone will. I'll make sure of it Potter" she said.

He whipped his head up to meet her gaze. Her gaze was devious.

"You don't want that to happen?" she asked.

He shook his head no.

Pansy simply stood up showing that this conversation was over and shrugged.

"Well trust me, it will."

"No! Is that really necessary?" he called out.

She chuckled at his immaturity.

"Of course it is. Potter she's beautiful! And others see it. So when she gets ask what are you going to do about it?" she asked.

He stayed quiet and lowered his head knowing he had lost. He felt a hand on his shoulder and lifted his head to meet her gaze.

"I don't like you Potter, you know that right?" she began.

He nodded his head and looked away.

"But my stupid friend cares about you."

He said nothing but continued to look to the ground.

"She thinks that you are already taking that Julie girl to the ball" she whispered.

"I rejected her!" he said interrupting her.

"I know. No idiot would ask Cho if he was going to accept that request."

He sighed knowing that she was rubbing it in.

"Tell you what Potter. I'll make a deal with you. I won't say anything about Cho…if you do something for me."

He knew he was being blackmailed.

"What do you want" he sighed.

"I want you to leave Cho alone completely."

He looked confused.

"And, and you make a plan with Angel. One that involves you actually getting a date to the Ball, and her going there too with someone else"

He frowned at the thought, but she ignored it.

"And use that night as a moment to either confess to her, or end it" she said.

"What?" he asked.

"Merlin Potter! And they call me stupid" she said rolling her eyes. "Meet at the ball. Both of you try to escape your date, and either start something or finish it."

And then he understood. He would use that moment to get Angel to see that they needed to be together. But he didn't trust her. He squinted at her showing his distrust.

"You'll have to trust me." She whispered.

He nodded and looked away.

"Now I suggest you go find her."

Both walked out of the Owlery and headed towards the school once more. As they reached the main hallways, they saw something neither expected.

With Angel…

How the hell did this happen? She felt herself flush all the more as she found herself trapped in a corner, with a lovely looking Beauxbatons boy was actually talking to her. That wouldn't have bothered her much, that is unless he was talking about the Yule Ball, now that was nerve-wracking.

"W-what?" she asked holding her books tighter to her chest as a defense.

"Would you, belle lady, like to go to the Yule Ball with me?" he asked with a bright smile showing his confidence.

She noticed just how gorgeous he was. His name was Jude and he had dark brown hair, with light streaks of gold and his eyes were a lovely shade of brown, so bright and deep.

"I-I-I"

"Please?" he asked her grabbing her hand softly and kissed it.

She flushed all the more and looked away from those brown eyes. Soon she saw Harry looking at her, at what could be shock and frustration. He had a date, she knew he did, so she looked at Jude, gain her courage and found herself saying.

"I'd love to"