52

Susan's Surprise Defeat

Time: The next day

Place: Transfiguration Classroom

And so came time for dance lessons, as Susan and Harry found out they would need to take partners to the Yule Ball.

"We could go together," Harry said to Susan as they went through the steps. Susan, of course, had taken Gymnastics, Climbing, Catching, Bicycle and Throwing as a skill group. Dancing was nowhere to be found on her character sheet. She looked. Twice. Luckily she still had 5 XP, and put a point into Dancing with a grimace. This wasn't needed as far as the skill went, Dancing was untrained. However, this was more a Skill Specialization without needing the 5 rating. She just wanted to learn this kind of dancing, which the 1 was for, and then just use Augment Skill on the night. XP being too precious to waste on something like this.

"Sorry, Harry. I like you and everything, but I already know who I'm asking."

"You can't!"

"Why can't I? She has as much right to attend as anyone. Or are you going to say I can't because she's… way older then I am, technically speaking?"

"No, no," he said hastily. "I wouldn't dream of it. Then who am I going to take?"

"I don't know. Hermione? You two seemed eager enough to hug before."

He colored. "She was just worried I would be dead later that day, that's all."

"Then take Ron."

"What?"

"He is your friend, isn't he? I mean, I'm dancing with you right now, but I'd rather be dancing with Hermione. Or really any girl in our class. You two could handle it, right?"

"I'm not sure the wizarding world is ready for that. Two same sex couples at one dance? Professor McGonagall might have a heart attack. Anyway, I'm not… you know."

"Odd that there doesn't seem to be a lot of gays here. Or maybe they're just hiding it? One would think for any given population the ratio would be about the same. There should be at least one percent, or like ten people around here. I should do a study if magic users have a stronger gender connection to their biological sex then the population at large."

"Sorry, what?"

"Never mind. Just my Curiosity again."

Several days later the group was sitting in the common room. Hermione was reading a school textbook, Ron was building a card castle, Harry was reading, but a sports book (Flying with the Cannons) and Susan was reading the school paper, which was doing quite well under her decreasing direction. Most of the posts had been filled, and they even had a full time editor now, so she didn't have to do anything with it if she didn't want to. It was still her baby, and she looked it over before it went to print, but it was nice to really read the stories too.

"Shouldn't you be doing something more constructive?" she asked, looking between Harry and Susan. "Or have you already worked it out, Susan?"

"Worked what out?" she asked, looking up from the paper.

"The egg, of course!"

"Egg? Oh, you that mean eggplant looking thing I got from the dragon's nest? What about it?"

Hermione looked terrified. "You mean you don't even know?"

"Know what?"

"About the egg?"

Susan looked over at Ron. "Is this some kind of comedy routine Fred and George put her up to?"

"Not that I know of."

"Okay, if you're through being insane, perhaps we could have an actual conversation."

"She ran off, remember? She didn't get the information we did," said Harry.

"That's odd. I asked the Headmaster if there was anything I should know. He just said it would happen on the 24th of February. There's more to it then that?"

"Apparently they've given us the egg as a clue."

"Don't help her! Headmaster Dumbledore didn't. And he said you shouldn't help each other!"

"Yeah, just leave it," said Susan. "Honestly, think about it from Professor Quirrell's point of view. I'm never going to get advance notice of things out there, am I?" She pointed out the window. "So better to get used to it now."

"You're not even going to try to figure it out?" asked Ron. "That's either mad or… really mad."

"If I haven't mastered enough magic to get through by now, there's no hope me mastering more before then," Susan explained. "Oh sure, it would be nice to know, I suppose, but I can always read through a spell and cast it at the time if I need to. No big deal."

"You'll have to forgive her," said Sparkle, perking up. "She really loves to play up her Overconfident weakness. I guess it makes up for her ignoring her No Sense of Direction weakness. Or how she had me learn Awaken magic to get around her Deep Sleeper."

"She's gotten lost in the castle plenty of times," said Ron. "I've heard people laughing about it. She's usually laughing along with them."

"Sure, but not 'on camera' so to speak," said Sparkle. "Not where they could see." She pointed out at you.

Everyone looked over in the direction she was pointing, which was a wall.

"What are you pointing at?"

"Never mind, it would take too long to explain." She put her head down again.

Everyone looked over at Susan.

"Don't look at me, this time even I don't know what she's talking about."

"How is everyone's date situation?" asked Fred, coming into the room.

"Dismal," said Ron.

"Terrible," said Harry.

"Great!" said Susan. "She was super excited to be asked." She gave a thumbs up.

The two boys glared at her.

"What? I still say you and Ron should go together." Both looked faintly revolted. "You'd go with another girl, wouldn't you, Hermione?"

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Hum. Interesting…" Susan jotted something down in a notebook she slipped out of a pocket.

"What is?" asked George.

"Just a pet project of mine. Nothing to worry about. I bet Ginny would be happy to go with you."

"I can't go with my sister! That's even worse then taking- Wait, you were talking to Harry just then, weren't you?" said Ron.

"Picked up on that one right away, didn't you?" she asked, eyes wide. "Even I'm not that progressive."

"Is our brother a siscon?" asked Fred to George.

"How it would shock our poor mother to know this," said George back to him.

"Shut up!" shouted Ron.

"Anywho… Just saying, Harry. She wouldn't turn you down," said Susan.

"Yeah, I'll keep it in mind."

Several days later, Ron asked Fleur, and Susan and Ginny were trying to comfort him in his time of need.

"I'll never live it down," said Ron, shellshocked.

"I'm sure tons of people have asked her," said Ginny. "You won't have been the first, or probably the last."

"She would have gone with you, if she had gotten to know you better," said Susan. "It's just rather unfortunate she hasn't been hanging around lately. Team Susan isn't the same without her."

"She just sort of stared at me," continued Ron.

"It could have been worse. She could have just laughed in your face."

"That's the bright side, is it?"

"What's up?" asked Harry, coming in.

"Fleur has blatantly betrayed Team Susan by not answering yes when Ron asked her to the dance," said Susan.

"Mind you, she didn't say no, either. Ron ran off before she could say anything," said Ginny.

"There was such a coldness in her eyes. Those beautiful eyes. And that beautiful hair. And that face."

"Taking it pretty hard, then?" Harry asked.

Ron nodded sadly.

"Don't feel too bad, I got turned down by Cho. She's going with Cedric Diggory."

C.D. I wonder…

"So we're stuck for it then?" said Ron. "It's fine for me, but you have to do the first dance, Harry."

"Ginny! Would go you with me?"

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I'm going with someone already. I wish you had asked me sooner." She looked glum.

"Who?"

"Um, Neville."

"I guess he's okay," said Ron. "Well, you could still go with Hermione. Why hasn't one of us asked her yet?"

"You probably think of her as a friend, rather then a girl," said Susan.

"Yeah, that's got to be it."

"Did I hear my name?" asked Hermione, walking into the room.

"Will you go to the dance with me?" Harry asked.

"Oh, now he asks. Sorry, Harry, but someone asked me ages ago. And…" she colored. "I said yes."

"Further betrayal within Team Susan?" Susan said in a low voice, pretending to be shocked. She pushed herself back into the chair she was sitting on. "Will this tear our intrepid adventuring group of heroes apart? News at eleven. Oh, and it better not," she said, looking at everyone.

"Who?" asked everyone in the room.

"You'll just have to find out on the night," she said, flinging her hair back and walking past.

Susan's Curiosity weakness got the better of her, and she followed close on Hermione's heels, pestering in her.

"I'm not telling you either," Harry and the others heard as they disappeared up a staircase.

And so it was Christmas morning. With the extra time Susan had to work on gifts, the sky was the limit. Ron was impressed with how tough Harry and Hermione's wand were to break, and that they would always come back, so he asked for that. Susan had been glad to oblige him, and had finished the last hour of Fabrication the day before. She had put in loads of time prior to that, to make it more like a gift.

"Actually, I can breathe a sigh of relief," he confided in her. "I've always been a bit paranoid about this wand, for some reason. Like I should have broken it already. It's very odd. At least now it's mine, and as long as a piece of it remains, it'll grow back."

Hermione got a ring with Pocket Dimension on it, which she said was just perfect.

"Well, I've seen you looking at me as I pull books and such out of it," Susan said. "I figured you might like it."

She showed Hermione how she had to concentrate on the portal to keep it open, and that she could put about a hundred pounds into it per time opened.

Harry's, of course, was the one she was most proud of. She handed him a small charm which looked like the Gryffindor crest, and told him to clip it on with his other ones, the Conceal Magic and Deflection. He did, wondering what was in store for him.

"Okay, cast a hex at him," she said. "Any old hex will do."

"You didn't?" said Ron, looking up from admiring his now like new wand.

"Just do it and you'll see."

Ron pointed his wand and cast something.

Nothing happened.

"This is…" Harry said excitedly.

Susan nodded. "It's grade 8, so I'm glad I got started really early this year. But don't get cocky. Remember, this is not the Magic Immunity that I enjoy, this is my old Barrier Against Spells. You can still get hit by Bludgers, so keep your Deflection item handy. But anyone who casts a spell on you thinking it's going to work is going to be in for a surprise."

"I don't have to activate it?"

"I made it permanent, because I didn't know if you could spend 8 energy. I hope you don't mind the XP drain."

"Didn't even feel it."

"Yeah. Anyway, Merry Christmas, everyone."

Everyone filled into the great hall for the feast and the dance. Susan, wearing a dress she had made herself with the help of Augment Skill: Dressmaking and Creation, stepped lightly down the stairs with Myrtle at her arm. (Also Teleportal to get home, and Research to do some Internet searches for something suitable. But who's counting?) Myrtle, wearing a dress she had envisioned herself, floated by her side. Susan had her charm bracelet hidden on her person, with Phase and Augment Skill: Dancing loaded into charms. She had Magical Ally and Magic Immunity also loaded, because she believed in taking no chances. Of course, the silver ring glittered on her finger, outside a white glove. She had cast Phase on herself, not caring about the penalty at the moment, saving the charm for when she had to dance in front of everyone.

She had spent an hour doing her makeup, or what passed for the skill- Disguise. As she had cast Augment Skill: Disguise on herself before beginning, she had gotten a 13*. As an NPC can only get a 15 max, she's looking pretty good.

"They're all staring at us," Myrtle said.

"Because never before have they seen two more beautiful ladies. Also, all the boys are jealous we're together."

"I guess so."

She looked around for Ron, and found him wearing a snappy set of dress robes, quite unlike the dress robes his mother had presented him with. He spotted her, held his arms up to show the robes off, and grinned at her. She threw him a thumbs up.

Then Susan spotted Hermione. Someone made her checks well tonight. Susan tore her eyes away to who was standing next to her as her date.

"Wha fur?"

"What was that?" asked Myrtle.

"Viktor? Viktor asked her out?"

"Who? Oh, Hermione? I almost didn't recognize her."

"You and me both," said Susan in an undertone.

As Susan sat down to the feast, she realized with a start her mistake. She turned to Myrtle, who was looking at the plates longingly.

"I'm really sorry, Myrtle, I didn't even think about the feast beforehand. We should have just arrived fashionably late, when the dancing started."

"It's okay," she said sadly.

"No, it's not. I should have been more sensitive to your feelings, and I'm sorry. If only Phase was touch instead of personal!"

"Could you Imbue the Phase spell into the food so I could eat it?"

"No, that would mean the next person who ate it would be Phased. Not that the food would be."

"Oh."

"We could just go hide until the feast is over. I don't mind."

"No, no, stay. You have to eat even if I don't."

"Are you sure?"

Myrtle nodded.

Susan sighed and turned back to her plate. Having a ghost as a date is daring and cool, but it isn't without problems, I guess.

Susan and Myrtle danced, both Phasing through people as they did, startling them.

Hard to keep your mind on physical space when it just don't matter anymore, Susan found. They even did a number or two in the air, Susan having put Flight on herself.

Too late, Susan thought about how it would look for those silly land bounded people down below. Probably like I'm showing off again. Well too bad for them.

"Can I talk to you?" Myrtle asked, as a song wound down. She pointed up.

"Sure," said Susan, wondering what Myrtle had in mind. They Phased through the ceiling and wound up in a classroom. Noise from the band below dropped in volume, and Susan wondered if she should cast Darksight on herself. Her eyes quickly adjusted though, Myrtle giving off enough of a ghostly glow to see by. She looked pensive.

"What's up? Are you not having fun? We don't have to stay."

"It's not that. There's something important I have to tell you, and I don't know how to start."

"Okay." Susan began to get a bit nervous. What could she possibly… Is this going to be good or bad?

"The thing is, I really like you," she said, looking away. "And I think you like me too. But I think you like me more then I like you."

"I do like you a lot." The Love Interest card was played mainly for the points, I didn't need it to feel like I… oh no, it's bad, isn't it? "Is that a problem? We can work out your being a ghost some time, if that's what you're worried about."

"No, it's not that. It's just, you're the only one who ever really showed an interest in me. And you can touch me, which I never thought would happen again. It's just, I didn't want you to get the wrong idea. We can be friends, just, not… more. I'm sorry. I thought I should tell you, before things got more serious. I thought they might, after tonight."

"Oh." Not exactly what I was expecting. "Thank you for telling me now, I appreciate it." Susan took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.

"We can still be friends, right? You're really my only friend, the others just put up with me, I think. To them I'm just a silly ghost that hangs around. To you I'm a person. I'm sorry I can't be what you want me to be. I can't love you. I tried. I tried so hard. I'm sorry."

Susan stared at her a moment, watching as silvery tears spilled from her eyes, and vanishing when they left her face.

You could make her love you, with magic. Infatuate, Grade 6. Why not do it? You have the power, don't you?

Susan froze.

Where did that thought come from? That voice didn't even sound like me, did it? Make her love me? I can't do that! That's so much worse then the Imperius curse. Hey, I made a rhyme. Rhyme time, earn a dime! The only gay girl here and that's not fine.

Get it together Susan!

"Susan?"

"Sorry. Yes?" She realized she was crying now. "You can't feel what you can't feel. I understand. Of course we're still friends. Good friends. You'll always be part of Team Susan, that's a promise."

"You probably want to be alone. I'll go. I know it was horrible of me to tell you like this. I was trying so hard to be happy tonight, but I just couldn't. I know what you went through to look nice for me. And you learned dancing for me, and everything. But I just couldn't do it. I hope you can forgive me."

And Myrtle was gone.

I'm not sure what I want now. I can't go back down there, now. Guess I'll just go up to bed.

And with 10 energy, Susan made a STRength check to tear her dress off, which succeeded with a 21. A distant part of her thought it might be a bad idea to leave it there, but the larger part of her didn't care. The larger part of her didn't care about anything at the moment.

And so, Susan Anne Felton, the girl who was probably the most powerful magic user on the planet, sadly drifted towards her room like the ghost she couldn't stop loving. Helpless against the one thing she couldn't use her magic to fix.

Her own broken heart.

* Author's note: The Paragon rules don't really say how the Disguise skill works in this case, so I'm taking it as an Assist roll to her LOOks. So Susan currently has a 7 LOOks, and got a 14 on her LOOks check when she came into the room.