"On Christmas eve night we and our guests gather in the Great hall for a night of well-mannered frivolity as representatives of the host school I expect each and every one of you to put your best foot forward…" Professor McGonagall announces as the caretaker messes with a record player, "...And I mean this literally because the Yule Ball is first and foremost a dance."
Students in the room begin to chit chat excitedly about the Ball instantly. Aurora stays staring at the caretaker's cat, maybe I could actually turn into a cat now and have control. She's sitting next to her sister who's next to Angelina, they whisper back and forth about the Ball. Aurora didn't think much into the ball, no one will probably ask her. Well, no one besides Fred and George. One of them would ask her if not both even if she's still annoyed about this situation in the broom closet. Harry and Cedric have finished the first tasks, they're working on figuring out their next one. No crown appeared over her head during the first challenge, she wonders who did or if it's still going on. As of now though, they will have another task of finding a date. Aurora can tell Harry wants to ask a Ravenclaw friend of Cedric's. He has been glancing at her across the room this whole class.
"Silence, the house of God Rick Gryffindor has commanded the respect of the wizard wold for nearly ten centuries…" McGonagall speaks over the students to kill their whispering, "I will not have you in the course of a single evening besmirching that name by behaving like babbling bumbling band of baboons…"
Aurora glances at George and Fred's way then, knowing they were in that category. She hasn't talked to them much but everything has been so hectic with the Tournament, classes, and now this. Not to mention keeping a low profile since her lifeline is basically entwined with two others. Aurora doesn't feel when Hermione or Harry cast a spell, she's thinking it's because when one does a spell the other one is linked in a way to where she feels nothing still. They can feel when she uses a spell but nothing has bounced back since the last time she's been in the forest. Aurora looks away from the twins when Professor McGonagall calls out.
"Mr. Weasley, will you join me please?"
Aurora sits up in her seat more when she watches Ron stand up and go to where McGonagall is standing. She tells him to take her waist to dance and the child looks terrified but does. The caretaker starts the music and McGonagall begins to lead him into the dance. Nudging her sister Aurora turns and they share the same expression leaning closer the oldest says.
"That might be you."
"Quit it, Aurora."
"Nothing's wrong with liking a Weasley…"
"Or two?" Hermione lets out without looking at her sister but she had a smug face as she watches Ron. Leaning back in her chair in a slouch Aurora glares at her sister before glancing at two Weasleys. They were dancing to themselves while watching Ron, by just staring at them she knows she wants to try the third spell. She's just afraid of what will happen next, it might be the first time she rather not find out what happens. She likes the possibility too much to find out. After a moment of Mcgonogcall counting as she shows them the step she announces to the class.
"All together now, everyone up. Boys on your feet."
Suddenly every girl is on her feet and Aurora has to look around her surroundings, she can't see over the girls. Standing up Aurora pushes a few girls out of her way to see what's going on in front of her. Girls and guys are slowly making their way over to one another, none of them have yet to join Mcgonogcall and Ron. Aurora looks at her sister and sees her very shyly look around the room for a partner. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees George walk straight to her while Fred heads to Angelina. When he reaches her he sticks out his hand slowly while lowering his head to the side of her face.
"Princess, if you'll be so gratuitous…"
"That depends."
"Have no fear. I will not ask for hand in marriage."
"Then by all means…"
Aurora mumbles while sliding her small hand into his, she could tell it's rough and more sturdy around hers from Quidditch. She lets him guide her to a spot on the floor and they begin to dance. Truth be told, they already know how to dance and came very easily to them. Fred and George learned from their father, and they taught Aurora during the summer. Their father had told her the story of how he taught them and she had pleaded they teach her. Her reasoning is moments like these so she wouldn't look like a fool and like usual, she was right.
"One, two, ouch- you're good, keep going… One- Fred your turn."
George twirls Aurora out for Fred to take her hand, she squeals as she spins into him and almost knocks him over. Fred has to grab her waist before she falls back and onto the ground. Arthur tries not to laugh at the poor kids, he offered to teach her but the twins insisted they'd teach her themselves. George is holding his foot when Aurora steadies herself and looks up. When she sees him wounded she can't help but look at him in guilt blurting out.
"I'm sorry… Forge. I really am-"
"You're fine, love. Promise." George then corrects himself quickly, "Pinky promise, okay? Freddie?"
Fred sighs while pushing a curl that looks almost black in the dark out of her face. They're outside and the sun's setting to the point where they can barely see the sun on the horizon line. Everyone's inside beside their father who is working on the house. He's mumbling spells here and there on parts of the house. Fred, George, and Aurora are in the clear space near him dancing with a radio playing music. Fred pulls away from Aurora and turns the music loud while suggesting.
"Let's just try to dance, Aurora. Forget the step by step and just…"
Fred then takes both of her hands and begins swaying with the beat. He sends her a small smile while watching her loosen up and feel the music. He locks fingers with her and pulls her closer slowly while dipping his head in slightly. Her breath catches just as he pulls away, he looks to his brother then back to her before spinning and letting go. George grabs a hand then and she stops spinning slowly enough to let him catch her waist. He goes in for the next step and without hesitation, she rests her hand on his shoulder and allows him to lead. They dance for a minute with no one counting and no one stepping on the other.
George pulls her a little closer but lets himself sway more leisurely to the beat as Aurora follows his lead. Her smile begins to grow and they begin to actually dance and let out a laugh as George leans back like she's dipping him herself. He comes back up and winks at her before spinning her again and chuckling to himself as her giggles continue. Her curls fly around her and after the spin, she grabs Fred's hand and when she spins into his arms he dips her back. They continue to dance like this until Aurora can't feel her toes. Their father glances at them smiling at them in irony, they had hated when he caught them but had not a single complaint when Aurora asked.
Over time Arthur noticed something familiar about her that he couldn't place. Hermione didn't have this same familiar face like her, he's seen her mother a couple of times when Aurora was younger at the train station. Aurora always looked like she's her mother's side when Arthur saw her. As she got older, however, her face started to take a sharp tone. He thought it was quite lovely and felt like he's seen the same edgy tone face before. His sons have seemed to notice as well, all of them if Arthur could bet on it.
"I didn't mean to... shame... what you did with Harry. I understand why, love."
Aurora looks up at George with her hand rested in the crook of his neck, after a moment of silently swaying she looks through a window behind him not knowing what to say. She wanted to say let's try the spell but the unspoken truth is none of them know what the future will hold. All Aurora knows is that Fred and George believe they love her enough to want her to live rather than love them. Whatever that truly meant, the boys were sure it would work. Glancing back up at George when his arm slides further around her, Aurora sees his eyes rested on her lips. Sweeping her tongue on her bottom lip absently George blurts out.
"We'll still want you around even if the spell doesn't work. Even nothing happens between us."
She holds a breath like she's been caught in a lie or as if he read her mind.
"I'm a patient man, I can wait to marry you."
"And if you never do?"
"I'll still want you around, princess."
Aurora looks down to his chest trying to hide a smile, he knows her so well she couldn't help but take his apology even if it wasn't one exactly. Looking back up at him she smiles and dips him back slightly as he should have with her. He leans back more himself to be dramatic and they hear their Professor shout.
"Absolutely not, Mr. Weasley. You stand right back up and lead Ms. Granger like a gentleman."
"Oh…" George then growls playfully while nipping her neck like an owl, " I'll lead her somewhere."
"George Fabien Weasley!"
"Okay… What about this one?"
"If you're not smiling to show us, it's not the one, honey."
"Brilliant… And to think we met her brothers first?"
Hermione laughs while standing next to her Ginny, Aurora huffs while starting at the mirror know they're right. She goes back into the dressing room to change into the next one. Aurora, Ginny, and Hermione are in Hogsmeade looking for dresses. Ginny's mother sent her a dress but Aurora and Hermione didn't have one, to be honest, they don't think their parents know about the ball. They've been sending few letters but wrote a lot in each one, it just kept getting less and less. However, Ginny is here and can tell them the most appropriate dress for a Yule Ball. Hermione has already found her dress, she found it rather quickly but when you see the perfect dress it's hard to find another. Which is what Aurora is having a difficult time doing since nothing can compare. Moving the sheet out of the way a little Aurora calls out to them.
"Can you find me another dress, this last one is horrendous."
"Will do." Ginny perks up before whispering to Hermione teasingly, "I know Fred and George's favorite color."
Hermione smiles at that before looking back to her sister as Ginny leaves her. She's holding her dress that's covered to preserve it while thinking about Fred and George. She always sensed Aurora had something for them and it was only a matter of time before she picked. Hermione just didn't know who it would be one day, to be honest, she's never certain who's who. Somehow Aurora does, her little sister has been the only one who notices she gets their names right since the twins never called her out on it. They will let someone know if they switched it up, every time. Now, it's just up to her to decide who. They've never talked about it, Hermione secretly thinks it's because her big sister can't decide. Neither one has asked her to the ball yet but none of the girls were worried. Hermione has been asked by Victor Crum and Ginny is going with Nevel. Both girls got a mouth full of teasing when they confessed who their date is to one another.
"So you know you're toxic friend, Daco..." Aurora sticks her head out of the doorway with knowing eyes saying, "Snape basically took his head off."
"What, shut up…" Hermione's eyes light up at Aurora's bait and asks surprised, "What could Draco have done, or might I ask what did he do to you?"
"Why, Hermione. Why would you ever think I had something to do with it?" Aurora wags a single eyebrow that has Fred and George written all over it, "I could have not even been there."
"Aurora..."
"Perhaps I was the reason-"
"Wait- Did Snape crackdown on Draco before or after we had the first challenge? I heard about something like that happened after the challenge."
"I found the dress." Ginny comes up beside Hermione out of breath, "Okay, I promise we don't need to look for another one. Just try it and find out."
"Thanks and yeah, it was." Aurora frowns but grabs the dress before ducking back into the dressing room. As she unzips it and takes it off the hanger Aurora continues as she changes, "Right when everyone was heading back into Hogwarts. Did you not notice I disappeared coming back inside?"
"I don't keep tabs on you anymore, Aurora. I have an itch for that now."
Aurora lets out a dramatic laugh because she knows exactly what she's talking about. Ever since the spell, Aurora's had this itch in the back of her mind. She only felt it when it was different from her state of mind. Even then sometimes she wouldn't notice it, Hermione had to feel strongly about it for Aurora to notice it. Aurora hasn't told Hermione much news about their little spell but they're slowly kept picking up things about it, after all, they'll have it forever now. Aurora is slipping the dress up her body as she speaks up again.
"Well, Hermione… He had pulled me to the side waving his wand like a buffoon threatening me when Snape intervened."
"Shocker. What was he threatening you about this time?" Ginny whispers before calling out, "Can we see the dress now, please."
"In his defense, I had already threatened him earlier that week when I was in the boy's restroom…" Aurora justifies why he would go after her like that because usually, he didn't mess with her purposely, "He was threatening to tell someone I had made a crack in the restroom among other nasty comments. Snape had come into the hall when Draco had his wand to my neck."
"So what you made a little crack?" Ginny shrugs beside Hermione and when she sees her expression she thinks out slowly, "...Is it a big crack?"
"Huge, unfortunately." Hermione answers knowing how the damage felt, "She did it with her foot..."
"He hadn't told anyone and probably won't be now." Aurora finishes saying while smoothing down the dress, "Snape was furious… I thought he was going to break Draco's wand to be perfectly honest."
"Does this make you Professor Snape's favorite?"
"Wouldn't that be so bizarre? A Gryffindor… his favorite."
Aurora looks at herself in the mirror in the confined room when she's finished putting the dress on. It shocked her a little how it stood out while still being one color. The dress Ginny gave her is a floor-length sparkling silk red dress, it's tight until the middle of her thighs after that it hangs down loose to her feet. It has thin shoulder straps and a heart-shaped chest line. The dress curved her body perfectly from it being completely silk. It's a rich red making her dark brown hair look almost black and it made her skin show more color than usual. Aurora looked in the mirror knows for a certainty that she stands out, this is the dress you want to show you're friends right as you put it on. She walks out then and spins slowly for them, Ginny smirks and Hermione mumbles innocently.
"Who would have assumed Gryfindor red is Fred and George's favorite color?"
"Would you like to know Ron's favorite?" Ginny folds her arms casually and whispers dramatically at Hermione, "Red."
"I'll get this one, show my Gryffindor pride. Even if I bet my way into it..." Aurora looks herself up in the mirror and stops looking at herself when she reaches her own eyes. After a moment she notices something in her eyes and walks closer to the mirror and looks into them before blurting out, "Hermione… Look into my eyes, what color do you see."
"Aurora, your eyes are brown as your hair…" Hermione sighs as she stands beside her in front of the mirror to look at her eyes. After a moment she sees what she sees, a flash of blue is swimming in her eyes. It flickers around her eyes making Hermione whisper confused, "I saw a flash of blue… but eyes can change in lighting… You think it's something we should research?"
"Let's give it some time… It's just a color, right?"
"This is mad… At this rate, we'll be the only ones in our year without dates. Well, as of Nevel."
"Yeah. I bet he can take himself."
"Might I address you to know that Nevel already has one?"
Hermione whispers as the trio sits beside one another in the study hall. Aurora's sitting between Fred and George a little further away from them at the table. They're close enough to overhear their little whispers. Aurora glances at Hermione and her little sister glances at the twins silently asking if one of them has asked her yet. Aurora shakes her head and looks back down to her notebook. There are only a few more days until it's considered a last-minute date and Aurora hopes they'd just get it over with and ask her. She glances up at Snape as she hears Ron whisper to Harry.
"Now, I'm really depressed..."
Fred writes something on a paper smiling and shows his brother and Aurora before sliding it to Ron. It was basically telling him to hurry up and ask someone. Ron reads the note and whispers to his brother frustrated.
"Well, who two are you going with then? Just Aurora?"
"I already found someone, mate."
George whispers with a slick smile, Aurora stops writing at his words in alarm and turns to look at him confused. For a second she thought she didn't hear it making her ask in a low whisper.
"You have a date?"
Before George can answer, he and Aurora see a crumbled piece of paper hit Angelina across from the table. Aurora and Angelina both turn to the person who threw it. Fred then begins mouthing to Angelina if she wanted to go to the Ball with him. Aurora felt her heart shatter as Fred doesn't bother to glance her way as Angelina says yes. Aurora looks away from Fred and Angelina to stare at her book in front of her trying to process what happened. In a matter of seconds, she found out George has already asked someone and Fred ask someone right in front of her.
She looks straight at her notebook without blinking, she's trying to stay calm but she can feel her chest swelling and her stomach drop. How could the guys not ask me when I'm sitting right between them? Fred then shoves her lightly to read something from his notebook but she didn't move a muscle. He shoves her again to get her attention but she couldn't do it. Standing up violently Aurora storms to Snape with her notebook and hands it to him quickly.
Snape grabs it from her with a hardened expression, Aurora catches his gaze, and it's the first one since what had just transpired. He stares at her for a long minute and Aurora knows he can tell her eyes are getting red within seconds. He raises an eyebrow just as Aurora spins around, he looks to the students she considers friends and sees them all watching her leave in confusion. She stalks out of the room with George and Fred watching disappointedly that she's no longer between them. Harry looks from her and the twins with an itching feeling growing in his mind. He looks across the room and sees Cedric watching her storm out along with other kids. Just before she's out of the room she clenches her fists from anger. When she leaves she doesn't notice all the torches went out in the room leaving it dark. The kids begin mumbling and Snape quickly waves his wand to light them back up. When the room is bright again all the students and see Snape's emotionless body storms to the doorway. Aurora's friends watch Snape looking down the hallway, he doesn't move any further to follow her. All he does is adjusts his shirt purse his lips and storm back in to command everyone to be silent.
"Aurora… Do you think it's possible if you would go to the ball with me?"
"Bloody hell, Harry. You're my brother, you want to be my date too?"
"Just hear me out, no one knows that we're sibling and we could go-"
"Harry. We'd both rather go someone else..."
They were both to the Owlery with letters for Sirius and Aurora's parents. Harry and she had been walking beside one another for a long time until Harry had the courage to ask her. He knew she had been waiting for George and Fred to ask but when they didn't he assume he'd be the best one to ask her. He doesn't know of any other guys she'd go to the Yule Ball with and assumed they could just go as friends. As they walk up the stairs Aurora shoves him lightly commenting.
"You should ask Cho, she's every pretty… Don't you think?"
"Yes. I believe you already knew that though, of course."
Harry turns and looks at her embarrassed knowing she's caught him pining over the Ravenclaw girl over the semester. He hasn't asked her and he's never gotten an opportune moment to ask her. Aurora looks down at the steps of the tower as they begin walking up. It becomes quiet again between them as they shiver and fog comes out with their breaths. Harry begins glancing from the steps and Aurora like a child not knowing if he should tell their parents something. When he sets his eyes firmly on Aurora he lets out what has been itching in the back of his head.
"I'm sorry George and Fred didn't ask… I kind of thought they already did."
"Yeah, I assumed too… But I've given it some thought." Aurora sighs while staring the at steps above them with a regretful expression, "They probably wanted real dates… Not me, their best friend."
"Is that what you want… To be friends?"
"Yes- Yes… And no." Aurora admits for the first time out loud. Harry had a way of keeping things to himself, making it easier for her to just say what's on her mind instead of thinking about what to say first. Shrugging sheepishly Aurora looks back towards the castle whispering, "I want more… But I don't want to lose what I have now. I like what I have with them now. Does that make sense, Harry?"
"Perfectly."
"So... what're our options now for the Yule Ball?" Aurora lights the mood quickly knowing to keep her emotions settled and calm. She doesn't want to get overly upset or mad about her situation, though she wants to. She can see Fred and George reasoning for it without talking to them about it, Aurora could come up with plenty of reasons herself. Aurora just wishes they'd see all the reasons to ask her. When reaching the top of the stairs, Cho pops out in the doorways, Aurora flinches in surprise and instantly loses balance from the ice on the top step. She grabs Harry on her way down causing him to fall forward onto Cho. All the students fall onto the ground in groans. Harry's halfway on top of Cho while Aurora is laying on her back with her hand clench down on his jacket. When Aurora lets go of Harry she grabs the railing and starts pulling herself up babbling.
"I am terribly sorry, you startled me. You came out of bloody nowhere."
"Well, not just out of nowhere…"
Harry groans with a light chuckle as he helps Cho up from her ground underneath them. All of the students brush off the snow on their clothes before they take turns moving through the doorway. Cho turns to walk down the stairs and Aurora sends him a look just as she leaves her eye-line, he answers her with a silent one of terror. Frowning Aurora then shoves him rather roughly out the doorway making him almost fall again. He breaths out a hot breath in the cold air while staring at Aurora dazed before looking back at Cho calling out.
"Wait, Cho… Um…"
Aurora then rolls her eyes from inside the tower before heading toward her owl. Harry always is nervous talking to girls, if only he knew what is said in a girl's restroom. When Aurora finds her owl she hands her the letter to give her parents. Aurora didn't say much in the letter, but she told them what every parent wanted to hear in the muggle world. She's passing all her classes, she's following the rules and she's learning so much. The more they lettered to them the less she felt like they knew her but they didn't understand her life anymore. They were barely a part of it anymore and the letters felt like a reminder that there's nothing she can do but write something they could understand. Aurora wanted more than just to write just like she wanted more than just to be friends with the twins. Watching her and Hermione's owl fly away Harry comes running in and almost runs into Aurora.
"I did it..." He breaths out with a disbelief smile that he did it, "She said yes."
"Brillant, now you can help me find a date."
"Well… there's always Ron…"
"Aurora, love. Where are you going?"
"Out. I'm… going out."
Aurora blurts out feeling like deer in front of headlights, she was walking past the common room to leave when she finds everyone from her inner circle around the fire. Fred and George are on the loveseat reading when they notice Aurora trying to leave quickly. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are on the couch helping each other with Ron's Essay. The room was quiet when Fred asked her where she was heading. Smiling thinly at everyone Aurora then darts out before anyone can ask any more questions. She was heading to the library to do some research but didn't want to let the others know in fear of them wanting to come along. She needed time to herself to think away from Fred and George. When the door shuts Hermione glances at the twins who seem to be acting like nothing is wrong with Aurora. After a moment she feels a spark of irritation towards them and can't help but shove the pages in her hand to Harry and speak up to the oldest students in the room.
"Why the bloody hell didn't you ask my sister to the Ball? You have basically sheltered Aurora from any other guy's attention and has no one else to go with now-"
"Chill, woman." The two leave back at the same time when they see her scrunch her face up, "Cedric's taking her to the Ball."
"He hasn't asked her." Harry looks up from the pages he's reading confused from what he heard, "We spoke earlier about it and no one has asked…"
"Not yet, mate." Fred winks while flipping a page in his book, "Cedric plans on asking her soon."
"Don't you think she'd… she'd want to go with you two?" Harry then stutters not knowing if he should be asking but from what he knows about Aurora she rather would go with them. Hermione glances at him curiously as if he knew her sister on the same level she does. Ron leans back in his chair and agrees with his best friend, "You do bloody act like you're married to the damn woman…"
"Well, it's come to our attention she might not want to marry us…" Fred begins to say in a tone while sharing a look with George, the three younglings look at them feeling like they're missing something. George looks to the kids then shrugging and explaining, "So when we found out Cedric wanted to escort her, we found… easier… dates."
"You do realize…" Hermione looks at them a little insane, "Taking her to the ball isn't like marrying her."
Fred and George then turn to look at each other without saying anything, the kids wouldn't understand. The boys weren't going to tell Aurora's little sister they've been asking her to marry them to be able to cast a spell all year. At least not until she says yes. The boys wanted to give her space and time since they started to pick up she's nervous about the spell and what it could hold. If Aurora wants them not to get married but wants to be able to love and marry someone else, Fred and George would be okay with it and they'd still want her around. Even if they adored her to no end they'd be okay with watching her be happy with someone like Cedric. Which is why they've always known they could do the spell in the first play.
Fred has seen the way Cedric glances at her, George notices the blush that creeps onto Aurora's cheeks when he's near. The boys weren't blind, they wanted to be annoyed when they noticed it but they never could act on it from seeing how much Aurora enjoys Cedric's company. If Aurora wanted to be happy with him, they'd watch them genuinely happy for them. Even if that meant they didn't truly get to have her for themselves. Every day the boys felt more and more confident in the spell working because of this. They owe it to Aurora, however, to give her a chance to love someone else and not take the option for her to marry another man. George had told her they're patient, they can miss a date to the ball if it means one day she'll find her way back to them to marry them. They rather marry her than take her to Yule Ball anyway, they've been waiting for too long to settle with just take her to a school dance. When Fred sees Hermione's still glaring at them he rolls his eyes saying.
"Relax, Granger. She'll have a splendid time with Cedric-"
"She wanted to go with you, genius." Ginny pops out of nowhere while hitting Fred's head with a book after overhearing him, "Of course she'll say yes to Cedric and have an amazing time but she was expecting you two to ask her."
"Well, firstly, you can't have two dates-" George mumbles making Ginny hit his head now with her book as he finishes with a little aggravation toward his sister, "And we're waiting for her hand in marriage which is much more serious than a Ball."
"What in heavens are you talking about?" Ginny blurts out after blinking at them in confusion, she didn't bring up marrying anyone and they bring it up so casually. Harry is looking at Hermione wondering if she knows what they mean exactly, she seems to be deep in thought like she's trying to remember something. Ron turns to his little sister saying in boredom, "Apparently they both want her hand in marriage now instead of just bloody asking her to the Ball-"
"Oh my god." Hermione blurts out with eyes as wide as stares at Fred and George in disbelief of what really they are wanting to do with her sister, "OH. My. GOD."