All throughout November, Willow did her best to take her mind off her conflicted heart. She practiced soccer and quidditch nonstop. She threw herself into countless hours of studying. She played with her creatures, and she even devoted more hours to homework sessions (more like copy-and-paste essay sessions) with her out-of-house friend group. Even that didn't do the trick, so she hung out with Harry more in those ensuing weeks than she ever had in the whole time she'd known him. She'd forgotten what it was like to talk with him, the both of them care-free, forgetting that their fates were slowly attempting to destroy them. Willow refused to tease Harry about being the Chosen One and didn't bring up the Tournament even once; she just wanted the both of them to enjoy some golden hours together before everything went to rubbish.

Once, after a hangout session with Oliver and Cypress, Willow and Harry stole a newly crafted bottle of Bully's Bane from the Slytherin's potions workshop. They headed to the dungeons and snuck into the Slytherin common room while everyone else was at dinner. After planting the explosive, they ran for their lives and plugged their ears. Moments later, they heard a massive BOOM! that shook the corridors. Willow and Harry stopped near a possible escape route and laughed their butts off.

"Did we seriously just explode the Slytherin common room?" Harry wheezed.

"Not only did we do that, but we flooded it," Willow chortled.

"Do you have any idea what's in the Lake?"

"I don't want to know, but I guess the Slytherins will be able to confirm or deny the myths now that the merpeople are moving into their common room."

"Willow! You didn't enforce the door?"

Willow smirked mischievously. "Why would I do that when I could see the Slytherins suft down the dungeon corridors?"

Harry shook his head. "You're bloody mad."

"So I've been told." Willow adjusted her body to settle in for the tense wait. When she looked up again, she found Harry staring at her eyes. "What? Do I have a lightning scar on my forehead?"

"No, but I can tell you've been spending more hours busying yourself than sleeping. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I told you, I'm fine. I'm always fine."

"Rubbish. I can hear you wake up screaming through the nearly soundproof walls."

"Then you're not sleeping much either, hypocrite," Willow shot back playfully, though her eyes lost their glimmer.

"Willow. Don't do this with me. You don't give me an inch of breathing room when I brush you off, so I'm reciprocating the act. I did use that word correctly, right?"

"Reciprocating? You don't know how to use that word?" Willow snorted.

"Don't change the subject." Willow rolled her eyes, and Harry crossed his arms. "You blew me off last time you mentioned your brother. We've got at least twenty minutes until the Slytherins return. Is there really a better time to tell me what's giving you nightmares?"

Willow stiffened. "No, but I'd rather you not see me differently."

"I lost someone too, Willow. I hardly think I'd see you much differently."

She sighed. There was no escaping this now. She owed Harry this much, after blowing him off so many times. Willow took a deep breath and shakily let it out. She recounted her story to Harry in the quickest, most painless version she could possibly provide. The torture was over within 60 seconds, but it felt like 60 hours to Willow. How else could reliving the worst moment of her life feel? As soon as it was over, Willow averted her eyes, forcing calm breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth. Her heart raced. She waited in a tense silence for Harry to respond.

"You've been carrying all that for nearly six years?" Willow nodded. Harry swallowed thickly and adjusted his glasses. "Wow. I didn't even know. You acted like nothing even happened. How do you bury that?"

"Not everything stays buried," Willow said hollowly. "I had it under control for the first handful of years, but in the last several months especially, it's been dug up more times than I care to recount. The Minister of Magic brought Orion up at my trial this summer, and I guess...it set me off. I've been having flashbacks and nightmares for the first time in years."

"Willow, that's serious. You should have asked for help!"

"Well I don't want any goddamn help!" Willow snapped, shooting to her feet. "I just want my family back!"

Harry instinctively backed up a few paces. His hand curled around his wand. "Willow..."

She blinked. The anger passed as soon as it had come. She glanced down to see her body beginning to sprout characteristics of a dragon. With a sickening wave of nausea, Willow ashamedly retracted her features and sank to the floor.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm not mad at you. You're right. You're totally right. I just...I'm not ready for the world to know who I truly am."

"Willow, your past is a big part of you, but it doesn't define you," Harry said.

Willow glanced up. "Did you just say something poetic?"

Harry reddened. "I guess I did..."

"Dang it, where's a video camera when I need it," Willow chuckled. "In all seriousness, though, you're right. I shouldn't be afraid of what happened to me; I should be more afraid of who I am and what kinds of trouble I'm going to end up knee-deep in."

"Speaking of knee-deep trouble..."

Willow followed Harry's gaze to see the Slytherins rounding the corner for their common room. The Gryffindors huddled together in a fervor of excitement as they watched the Head Girl speak the password. The moment the stone passage slid open, a huge wave of water burst out of the common room. Willow and Harry guffawed as the tide washed all the Slytherins back down the corridor. They were practically howling by the time one of the Slytherins managed to seal the door back up.

"WISP!" a familiar voice boomed.

"That's our cue!" Willow yelped.

The pair of Gryffindors took off like a bullet down the passageway. They didn't stop running until they were in the safety of the Great Hall, where they snagged a quick snack behind the crowd of exiting students. Willow stuffed a few rolls into her pockets for Sirius and handed the crumbs to Fidget. She and Harry mixed in with the crowd and managed to escape the Slytherins that stormed back up the marble staircase. Willow suggested they split up, just in case, so she shoved him ahead. She made sure Harry got through the portrait hole and into the safety of the Gryffindor common room, then not a moment later, a familiar shock of platinum-blonde hair yanked her by the back of the shirt and drug her down the corridor.

"Hey — ouch! — stop it — Draco, seriously, you're — "

"This can't possibly hurt you, Wisp, you've been hit with the Crutiatus Curse before," Draco drawled.

Willow rolled her eyes. "Honestly, it's like you're a bully or something. Did your precious father tell you the details of my Ministry injustice last year?"

Draco shot her a look. "I'm not a bully."

"Bull. And you didn't answer my question."

"I'm not obliged to." Draco finally tossed her into the nearest suit of armor. Willow barely managed to avoid crashing into it. Before she could regain her footing, Draco pinned her to the wall with his forearm. "You spilled the Black Lake into the Slytherin common room."

"Is that a question, or a statement?"

"I found an empty vial with your name on it."

"Huh. I could have sworn I told Cypress not to write my name on his explosives." At Draco's withering look, Willow relented. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry, I'm sure Snape will fix it in no time. I made sure one of you shut the door before you flooded the castle!"

"You're an arsehole, you know that?"

"I could say the same about you. Which Muggleborn did you bully today?"

Draco scoffed and roughly released Willow. "No one, actually."

"Wow, you're slipping. You might upset your father. Are you running out of acting ideas?"

"What? No, it's just — " Draco stepped back and fidgeted with his robes. Willow watched in a stunned silence as he stumbled for words. She'd never seen him fidget before. His confidence had up and disappeared. " — something is happening within the castle. Don't go blabbing about it to McGonagall. I don't know any specifics, but...someone is feeding information from the inside."

Willow froze. "You're joking."

"I'm not. I'm dead serious, Wisp." Draco stared intensely at the wall, his grey eyes storming. "Things are gaining momentum faster and faster, and no one can see it. There's something horrible coming, but there's nothing we can do to stop it."

"There has to be! We can find the rat, we can help them plant false information, we can — "

"No, Wisp, just — stop. If we get involved, we're going to get the rat killed, and possibly ourselves in the process. What if the trail leads right to your mother? What if she is the one asking for information? What will you do then?" Draco shook his head bitterly. "It all ends with someone dead, Wisp. We have to do nothing."

Willow crossed her arms, glaring at the floor so hard she nearly burned a hole in the stone. "I'm not good at doing nothing, Draco."

"Promise me you won't do anything."

"What?" Willow spluttered. She furiously whirled around to face him. "You expect me to sit here and watch the world burn?"

"You expect me to put my entire family in harm's way?" Draco retorted. "If they find out I'm meddling with their efforts, they'll assume my parents are traitors, too. They'll kill all three of us."

Willow set her mouth into a hard line. Draco had a point; they couldn't risk their families' lives. But that didn't stop the burning feeling of guilt and rage eating away at her insides. She knew someone was doing wrong, and she was morally obliged to stop them. She normally wouldn't think twice about throwing herself head-first at the problem to fix it. But now, with the lives of her loved ones on the line...she was trapped between a rock and a hard place.

"Someone's coming," Draco suddenly hissed, snapping Willow out of her thoughts. He shot her a meaningful look. "Promise me!"

"I will, as soon as I know there's absolutely no other way."

"Damn you, Wisp!"

Draco quickly darted down the stairs just as a pair of footsteps approached. Willow recognized Sally's voice, but the other came as a surprise. She peered around the corner to witness a rather odd scene. Mad-Eye Moody, the grumpiest, most secretive professor she'd ever met, was chatting amiably with Sally about their latest lesson, which involved defensive charms against a banshee. Willow kept herself out of sight as they passed. She was absolutely dumbfounded, seeing Moody genuinely smile at Sally. She thought the man was incapable of the gesture. Apparently, when paired with the right person, there was a side to Moody that wasn't...well, moody. Willow was beginning to wonder if she was just seeing things when Sam crept up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"I'm not crazy? That's really happening?" Willow questioned.

"I'm seeing the same thing you are," Sam confirmed. His eyes were flinty, and he appeared rather hurt. "Sally's been spending an inordinate amount of time with Professor Moody lately. I don't know why she'd take to him; she hates grumpy people."

"But Mad-Eye seems almost...relaxed around her. That's not normal either."

"I'm going to keep a closer eye on her," Sam declared, half-turning away from his twin. His eyes glittered sadly. "She doesn't go anywhere that I can't follow. I just...I want to know that she's not in trouble, you know?"

"I share the feeling." Willow rubbed his shoulder. "We'll get to the bottom of this one way or another, Sam. I know we will."

Sam sighed. "I hope it's sooner rather than later."


November faded into December, and still Willow was dancing awkwardly around George and Paige. The older Gryffindors acted like nothing was wrong, but Willow knew better. They were barely keeping their friendship intact with Willow's indecisive love driving a wedge between them. Both would jump at any chance to prove themselves to her now, and it was getting to a point where she could hardly stand it. Willow was almost tempted to declare herself single forever and just be done with this confusing love thing.

It only got worse when, one mid-December afternoon, McGonagall announced after Transfiguration that the Yule Ball would be taking place on Christmas day as a tradition of the Triwizard Tournament. It was, first and foremost, and dance, and the house of Gryffindor would be expected to put their best foot forward and be on their best behaviour. Willow noticed that her Gryffindor Sisters instantly burst into giggles and a fervor of whispers. She couldn't figure out why, but Miranda spelled it out for her before she could ask.

"Everyone takes romantic partners to a ball, Willow. It's basically a once-in-a-lifetime date."

The young Gryffindor nearly spat out her water. "It's a date?"

"That is, unless you go without someone."

Willow groaned and face-planted into her desk. "You must be joking. The already ridiculous rate of drama is going to skyrocket. Someone knock me out and wake me up when it's over."

"I was...actually...going to ask for your help," Miranda admitted.

Willow glanced his way as they exited the classroom. "My help?"

Miranda reddened considerably. "I've been wanting to ask Lisa on a real, formal date for several weeks now, and this might be my one opportunity. Problem is...I have no idea what I'm doing."

"You know you're asking the person with no real relationship experience, right?"

"That's exactly what I'm going for, though! Something original, something no one's ever thought of! Lisa isn't the type of person to swoon over traditional crap, like flowers and signs and cheesy lines. She likes creativity, ever-changing thought process, and a fair bit of wit thrown into the mix, too. How am I ever going to live up to that?"

Willow paused in thought. "Whenever I think of creativity...I tend to think of creative writing...so maybe..." Her eyes lit up. "Aha! I have an idea! What if you wrote a poem, an parabel, of sorts, about you realizing your feelings for Lisa, then transformed it into a song?"

Miranda gasped. "Oh my God, Willow, you're a genius!"

Dragging Willow at a breakneck pace through the corridors, he brought her to the Ravenclaw common room, then stole her up to his dormitory. The two poured through countless works of romantic prose until they found their inspiration. Willow set to work polishing Miranda's raw ideas the moment they poured onto the page, and within half an hour, they were satisfied with the poetry piece. Then came the even harder part: putting the lyrics to notes. Willow and Miranda flopped onto their backs in frustrated anguish more than once. When the hour was nearly up, Willow left Miranda to continue his work and headed down to the dungeons. She regretted not eating lunch, but when it came to Mirlisa, she'd do just about anything for them.

Snape was in a pissy mood, per usual, and barked at the students every fifteen seconds to hurry up while preparing their ingredients. Willow rolled her eyes when Snape swept by her and Draco's desk. It was like the brain of a whiny child got trapped in the body of a greasy adult man. Willow shook her head and resumed handing slimy bits of god-knows-what to Draco. When she'd finished all their preparations, she left Draco to his potion-brewing ("NO, Wisp, for the last time, you'll mess it up, so go away!") and sauntered over to Cypress's corner.

"What specialized detonator is on trial today?" Willow casually remarked.

Cypress didn't respond. Willow glanced to her right to see him furiously scribbling in a notebook in the messiest scrawl she'd ever seen. Cypress's handwriting was normally atrocious, but today, with as fast as he was writing, it horrendous. The situation was made worse by the fact that every few seconds, Cypress would grumble to himself and cross out everything he'd just written. Willow squinted to read the barely-legible lettering and gave up after a few failed attempts. She tapped the table to get Cypress's attention.

"Cypress, what on Earth are you doing?"

The blonde nearly jumped out of his seat. "Oh! Something — for Oliver — been working on it since yesterday — "

"Can you even read your own handwriting?" Willow said, trying and failing once again to decipher the seemingly foreign language.

"Doesn't matter...got to get this done...only have a few days..." Cypress mumbled, resuming his frantic scratching.

Willow suddenly gasped. "Oh my God, you're asking him to the Yule Ball, aren't you?"

Cypress dropped his pen and fumbled around to catch it. "Yes, I am."

"FINALLY! So this is the perfect moment you've been waiting for! It took long enough!" Willow raised her eyebrows at the blush creeping up Cypress's pink cheeks. "Wow, I've never seen you turn red before. This must be a big deal."

"This is a big deal. This is the biggest deal of all big deals. Oliver deserves for everything to be perfect, which means I've got to make everything perfect. I need to make a plan — it's rubbish so far — and everything from the official proposal to the last dance has to be executed perfectly. I can't — seem to — do it!" Cypress sighed frustratedly, scribbling out yet another page of ideas. "None of this is worthy of Oliver!"

"Cypress, quit overthinking it," Willow laughed. "Oliver will be floored any way you ask him. He's been patiently waiting forever, and he won't care how you do it so long as you actually ask him out."

"You're not helpful. I need ideas, Willow, not logic and reasoning."

"Alright, alright! Start with what you know he loves."

Willow and Cypress got to work. They drafted nearly half a speech in thirty minutes, touching on all the things Cypress knew so well about Oliver, such as the Hufflepuff's infatuation with all flora, his sweet nature, and his love language of touch. If someone had asked Willow about it, she would have told them Cypress went overboard with the vocabulary and near-torrential downpour of compliments, but it was his speech, after all, and if that was how he wanted to ask Oliver out after years of waiting, then that was how he was going to do it. There was no changing his mind now.

Right as Cypress was getting past the halfway point, Willow was called back to her table. Draco smiled smugly as Snape inspected their potion. They received full marks, and Snape was on his way again. Willow rolled her eyes as Draco silently taunted her.

"What? You think you would have gotten us anything other than a troll mark?" Draco scoffed.

"I'd like to think I would be equally exceptional at potions if somebody would actually let me brew them," Willow retorted.

"Like I said before, Wisp, I'd rather not lose my perfect grades because of a poor partner." His eyes glimmered. "That reminds me, has someone finally summoned the courage to ask you to the Yule Ball, or are you driving them all away again?"

"I have better things to do than bow down to society's expectations of romantic events," Willow snorted. "I'd rather go by myself and have fun with my friends than waste my time fawning over some idiot that's just going to ditch me for a pretty girl."

"That's just a fancy way of saying you're too ugly to get a date."

Willow threw a book at Draco upon seeing his teasing smirk. "So you've got it all figured out, then? You've already got the girl and know exactly how the evening is going to progress?"

Draco suddenly spluttered. "I — I mean — I did — no, I do have it figured out — not yet, though — "

Willow gasped. "No. Way. You got turned down, didn't you?"

"I did not!"

"Draco, your face is the colour of a tomato. You're lying through your teeth." Willow sat back in her seat, letting out a breath. "Wow. The Slytherin Prince got shot down right when he thought he could get whatever he wanted. Who was it?"

"No."

"Tell me."

"No."

"I'm friends with Cypress. I'll find out one way or another."

"Ugh, fine." Draco sulked in his seat. "It was...Daphne Greengrass."

Willow let out a bark of laughter, which earned her a stinging slap to the arm. "No way! She said no? To you?"

"Keep your voice down!" Draco hissed. Willow begrudgingly shut her mouth as he leaned his forehead on the table. "Yes. Daphne Greengrass said no to me."

"Aw, it's okay, Draco, you'll get used to rejection at some point." He shot her a glare. "Welcome to the real world, Princess. Come on! I'm sure there's a whole flock of girls clambering for your attention. You just have to figure out which one isn't...well, obsessed. From there it's a matter of sweeping them off their feet, which I'm sure you've had plenty of practice doing."

"You think I spend all my free time strutting about the castle, making girls faint?"

"What else do stuck-up rich bad boys do?"

"You're a miserable pain in the arse, you know that, Wisp?"

"Oh, I don't know it, I own that role." Willow shot Draco a wink. "If you're really feeling rebellious, you could always take a blood traitor. You might even make the Daily Prophet. I can't wait to see the headlines."

The bell rang at that moment. Willow got up and walked to the door, leaving Draco stammering. "What — Wisp, get back here!"

"You know what you're doing!" she called over her shoulder.

Draco thankfully didn't give chase. Willow sauntered her way through the corridors, enjoying a free period at last to roam the castle while the rest of the school was mostly empty. She needed some quiet time and — well, if she was being honest, a fair few hours of sleep. It had been weeks since she'd gotten restful sleep without being plagued by nightmares or stressful dreams in general. Willow spent more time at night with Luna in the Insomniac Shack than she did in her dormitory. She caught up with some naps here and there, but it never completely removed the haze of exhaustion that tampered with her mental state. Maybe she really should seek out professional help soon...

"Willow! Blimey, quit walking so fast!"

Willow turned to find Seamus nearly running to catch up with her. "Sorry, force of habit."

"I need your help! I still haven't asked Dean out, and now the Yule Ball — "

"You didn't ask Dean out?!" Willow yelped. "I literally dropped you off with my roommates for two hours that one time! How did you not come up with a plan?"

"We did! I just...didn't execute it?"

Willow face-palmed. "Seamus! You're lucky Dean is patient! You need to get a move on before it's too late!"

"Why do you think I came to you?!"

Willow groaned. "That's it, scrap all ideas, you're coming with me right now. You're the Gryffindor Sisters' newest assignment."


"You've got this!" Willow whispered.

"Merlin help me," Seamus groaned.

"Oh, come on, I did most of the work, you just have to sit there and look pretty."

"I'm going to pay for this in some subtle way later, aren't I?"

"You bet! Shoot, here he comes, play it cool!"

Willow darted behind a cluster of trees as Seamus frantically smoothed out his robes. The distant sound of swishing grass grew closer and closer until Dean emerged from the meadow. His eyes lit up at the sight of Seamus.

"H-Hi, Dean!" Seamus stuttered. He furiously cleared his throat. "You look even better today than yesterday."

"As do you." Dean eyed the path behind Seamus. "A night walk through the Forbidden Forest? Under a half-moon? Hm, it's almost like somebody suggest this to you."

Seamus smiled uneasily. "Well, I hope you still like it, because I made a few adjustments. Shall we?"

I made a few adjustments, Willow snorted to herself. She shook her head as Dean took Seamus's arm. Together, the boys followed the semi-worn path into the trees, finally coming to a stop when they reached a series of wooden pergolas. Dean gasped at the sight.

"No. Way."

Yes way! Willow thought. The boys strolled into one of her greatest creations yet. An entire garden, complete with two stone fountains and a natural stream, flourished within the invisible boundaries. Vines and ivy tangled their way across the overhead beams, producing beautiful flowers every so often. Bushes bearing all kinds of fruit filled the chilly air with a sweet fragrance. Undergrowth wove together with a massive ground-covering of vibrant-coloured flora. Willow added a few magical touches to the flowers to make them change colours and perk up whenever someone passed them. Dean was beside himself only a few steps into the garden.

"You did all this...for me?" he spluttered.

"I mean, I had help, but...yeah," Seamus admitted, now redder than a tomato.

"There's magical flowers here that only bloom in the moon. You really took this 'moonlight stroll through the garden' thing seriously, Seamus. I'm impressed."

"Oh — um — thanks?"

Dean laughed, causing Seamus to nearly pass out. "You never were one to take a compliment." Dean noticed one of the decorations and peered closer. "Is this — Is this a Shakespeare quote?"

"From Romeo and Juliet," Seamus agreed. "One of Mercutio's famous quotes, I believe."

Dean shot Seamus a knowing smirk. "Those two were — "

" — far too close, I know," Seamus chuckled. "You said you were no Juliet, and you were right. You're definitely more of a Mercutio."

"You're not wrong. Constantly calling out my 'best friend' for his romantic bull? That's pretty much all I do."

Seamus rolled his eyes. "You also create extraordinary paintings."

"That's beside the point!"

Seamus cheekily grinned as he led Dean to the stream. Parts of it were already frozen from the mid-December temperatures, and it created the most intricate ice sculptures Willow had ever seen. Not even her powers could match the beauty of nature in this case — Who am I kidding, in all cases, she thought — and she wouldn't have it any other way. Dean traced with his finger the splashes that were frozen in time. Seamus looked on, fidgeting with his fingers more than usual. Dean eventually noticed and looked at him with a knowing smile.

"You're trying to build up the courage to say something. I can see it." Seamus nodded, even more blood rushing to his cheeks. "I'll make it easier for you: any way you ask is going to result in the same answer."

There was a beat of silence, then Seamus took a deep breath and said, much too quickly, "WillyoucometotheYuleBallwithme?"

"Yes, Seamus, I've been waiting for you to ask me forever!" Dean laughed.

Seamus's eyes widened. "You — You will? You're serious?"

"Yes! I was wondering if I'd have to ask you myself!"

"Oh...sorry about that." Seamus ran a hand through his hair. "Wow. I psyched myself up for two seconds of fear?"

"So does everyone else on this planet," Dean said. He intertwined his fingers with Seamus's, causing the Irish boy to nearly faint. "I just like watching you do it better."

Willow silently did a happy jig from her hiding spot. Her heart soared. Dean and Seamus were finally together after months of dancing around one another! Deamus was actually happening! As Seamus explained their plan for a switcheroo with Lavender and Mia during the Ball (Seamus had been quite self-conscious about going with a boy, so a deal had been made to allow for him and Dean to "go" with Lavender and Mia, then Lavender and Mia would leave them to dance with as many Durmstrang boys as possible), Willow imagined the boys dancing together. Seamus struck her as the type with two left feet, and Dean probably wasn't much better, which made the image all the more romantic. They would get to learn ballroom dancing together on the fly. Willow could already hear her roommates squealing from the cuteness overload.

"I should come and paint this place sometime," Dean whispered, pulling Willow from her thoughts. "It's like Mother Nature became an architect out here. Even the stream is picturesque."

"If by 'Mother Nature' you mean Willow, you'd be partly correct," Seamus chortled.

"Willow-powers or not, this place is beautiful, and it's the only scene worthy of painting you into it." Dean smirked at Seamus's blush. "One of these days you'll get used to compliments. It has to happen eventually."

"No it won't," Seamus groaned.

Dean let out a laugh. "It's a good thing you're cute when you blush, then."

The boys spent another fifteen minutes simply listening to the night. Willow felt remotely like a stalker, but she didn't care. She wouldn't miss this opportunity if someone offered the world to her. When the boys finally got up and began the long walk back to the castle, she followed loosely behind, her senses on high alert for any dangerous creatures. Thankfully, there were none, and the boys arrived at the edge of the Forest without incident. Dean turned to Seamus when the latter stopped short.

"Are you coming?"

"No, you go ahead, I'll catch up," Seamus insisted. "You're less likely to get caught than me."

"You are a bit of a klutz — " Dean paused, eyeing Seamus knowingly. "Willow was following us the whole time, wasn't she?"

The latter spread his hands. "What? You think I'd wander into the Forbidden Forest at midnight with no protection?"

"I'd think you're crazy if you did." Dean waved to the trees. "Thank you, Willow!"

No need to thank me when I got to see my friends be happy together, she thought.

Dean beamed at Seamus. "Thank you for tonight. It was more than I could have dreamed of."

To Willow's delight — and Seamus's extreme surprise — Dean leaned forward and kissed the Irish boy on the cheek, then jogged up to the castle, leaving Seamus in a stunned silence. When Dean was safely behind the stone walls, Willow jumped out of her hiding place and ran to Seamus.

"You did it! You honest-to-God did it!" she cheered. "You're going to the Yule Ball with Dean!"

"I'm going to the Yule Ball...with Dean?" Seamus spluttered. "I'm going to the Yule Ball...with Dean. I'm actually going to the Yule Ball with Dean!" Seamus broke out into a giddy grin. "We're seriously going together! It's happening! For real!" Seamus froze. "Merlin help me...I've got to get dress robes, don't I?"

Willow put a hand on his shoulder. "Leave that to the Gryffindor Sisters."


Seamus was taken care of within minutes when Willow announced his successful proposal to the Gryffindor Sisters the next morning. Willow hastily left her roommates to take care of his wardrobe and escaped just in time to find George and Paige leaving the common room. She caught up to them in a heartbeat. They nearly jumped out of their skin upon seeing her and fumbled for words. Willow thought it was rather odd for the usually suave Gryffindors, but she forgot all about it by the time the reached the Great Hall. They ate breakfast together in a happy bliss of fun chatter, though Willow noticed both older students were redder than usual.

On her way to Care of Magical Creatures, Ginny, Colin, and Luna caught up to Willow. The pair had become a nearly inseparable trio by now. Willow was glad to seen the energy of the Gryffindors combining in a yin-yang sort of fashion with Luna's calm, contemplative tendencies. The three frantically asked her questions before their Herbology test — Luna just wanted to brush up, Ginny had fallen asleep while studying, and Colin had forgotten about it entirely — to which Willow nonchalantly answered and explained. She laughed when Colin literally tripped over himself in his worrying and fell face-first into the grass. Luna and Ginny hauled him to his feet and thanked her profusely for her help before running to class. Willow checked her watch.

"Ah, that would make me late for the...seventeenth time this year," she said, wincing.

Thankfully, Hagrid did not hold it against her. Willow jumped right into the lesson and allowed other students to pawn their work off on her. For some reason, the skrewts took to her like they did Hagrid, which really didn't mean anything special other than they wouldn't outright attack or set them on fire. The creatures were extremely well-armored now and almost impossible to handle. Willow, Hagrid, and a few brave souls were the only ones left able to feed and walk them. While dancing out of the way of yet another blast of fire — and ignoring Draco's "Fire Flier" taunts — Miranda approached her in a rather disheveled state.

"Willow, today's the day," he panted. He nervously ran a handa through his hair. "I'm asking Lisa to the Ball today."

"FINALLY!" Willow shrieked, startling a few nearby students. She lowered her voice. "How are you going to do it?"

"That's just it...I need your help, and all of the others'."

The moment classes ended for the day, Willow and Miranda gathered every single one of their friends in the Entrance Hall, barring Lisa, of course, who was distracted by a study session. Together, they braved the chilly December winds and set to work in the meadow, preparing a scene worthy of Lisa Turpin. Willow nearly exhausted herself with the amount of times she used her powers, but it was worth it. She was happy to make someone else happy!

By the time she was finished, everyone else was almost done with their part of the project. Miranda sent Willow off to find Lisa with instructions to bring her to the marble staircase. All of their friends would hide for the duration of the proposal and surprise Lisa at the end. Giddy with excitement, Willow practically skipped through the castle. She found Lisa outside the Ancient Runes classroom and engaged her with a conversation about Potions. Lisa didn't even noticed where Willow was taking her until the Gryffindor stopped mid-conversation.

"Maybe try compressing the beans instead of cut — hey, what's this?"

Willow did her best to keep a straight face as Lisa gasped. A trail of beautiful blue flowers began a mere ten meters ahead of them. They were spaced out perfectly for Lisa's stride. The blonde picked up the first bundle of petals and sighed at their sweet scent.

"Blue hydrangeas. Those are my favourite...where do you think they lead to, Willow?"

"Let's find out!" the Gryffindor practically squealed.

Lisa followed the hydrangeas down the steps, through the Entrance Hall, and outside into the grassy meadow. Here, instead of bundles of the flower laid on the ground, there were bushes of the blue petals. Lisa squeaked happily and picked a few, placing one strand in her braided hair. Willow seriously hoped Miranda wouldn't pass out at the sight of her.

Through the meadow they went, the bushes of hydrangeas getting bigger and bigger until they came to an abrupt stop about a hundred meters away from the Forbidden Forest. Here, the grass had been clipped short, creating a circular clearing amid the tall grass. The faint strumming of a guitar reached Willow's ears. Lisa's eyes wandered around the space until they landed on the far edge, and that's when she saw him.

"Oh my God," Lisa whispered.

"Go to him!" Willow encouraged, pushing her forward.

Lisa approached one of the most beautiful scenes in the history of the world. Miranda was gently plucking his guitar strings beneath a white-painted wooden pergola. Baskets full to the brim of pink, white, and blue flowers hung from the wooden beams. Ivy trailed down the four posts, and in the back, a whole honeycomb-designed wall filled with plants of all types and glorious scents brightened the atmosphere. Some bricks had been laid to create short walls on the left and right of the structure, and that's where Miranda was seated. Lisa positively trembled with happiness and anticipation as she placed herself across from him.

"I wrote a song for you," Miranda said, still strumming his guitar. "I hope you like it."

Lisa folded her hands and leaned on her knees, her eyes already glassy. Willow silently cheered them both on as Miranda transitioned into the opening lyrics.

I told you to run but you still stayed

I told you the truth, and I tried to drive you away

But you're still here, stubborn voice in my ear

Reminding me that love's not a sin

What if I try to let you in?

Willow could literally feel the raw emotions in the air. Lisa was nearly in tears already. She made an effort to control her breathing, pressing her knuckles to her lips. Miranda put more pressure on the strings now, launching into the chorus.

I can't feel a thing but then you crash into my life

Numbness subsides; passions alight

Clouds part to reveal your face and there you stand aglow

Babe, I swear I see your halo

But the moment I love, is the moment I leave

'Cause I've got a habit of running from my feelings

By that point, Lisa was crying. Willow had to shut down her senses to prevent the emotional overload through her powers. She hugged her arms around her middle as Miranda looked up at Lisa with the most adoring face Willow had ever seen. Miranda switched the chords again, letting the melody fall into a more hopeful mood.

But what if I love?

And then I don't leave?

What if we try this and throw away misgivings?

Darling I can promise you this, right from the start:

I won't let me break your heart

Miranda finished the song with a cool chord, a note that said "This isn't over yet," as if there were more to the story that has yet to be written into the song. Willow hardly prevented herself from jumping up and down. Miranda put his guitar down and carefully walked toward Lisa, who cupped her hand over her mouth as happy tears ran down her face. Miranda placed a necklace of blue morning flowers around Lisa's neck. The blonde was hardly keeping herself together.

"I've got something to ask you, Lisa," Miranda said quietly. He tipped Lisa's chin up to look at her, beaming as he did so. "Alright, this is going to be incredibly cheesy, but...will you keep me from being blue and go to the Yule Ball with me?"

Lisa let out a chuckle and quickly wiped her face. "Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes!"

Miranda picked her up and spun her around, laughing the whole time. When he set her down, Lisa stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, causing Miranda to melt into her embrace. By that point, Willow lost all forms of self-control. She whooped and hollered and called out their ship name. The rest of her friends chose that moment to jump out of the tall grass and cheer. Miranda and Lisa blushed furiously at all the attention. Willow bounced over to Cypress and Oliver, probably the two most excited out of all of them. She noticed that Cypress was nervously tapping a piece of paper in his pocket. That's when she realized it was his speech for Oliver.

Oh my God, he's going to ask him! He's finally going to do it!

Cypress tried to say something, but another roar of approval from the Ravenclaw girls drowned his voice out. Willow wanted to scream at her friends to quiet down. Cypress was finally asking Oliver out after two years of waiting! This was the moment he was waiting for! This is the moment I've been waiting for! Willow could hardly contain her excitement! Just as the volume lowered, Oliver suddenly spoke.

"Hey, Cypress, do you want to go to the Ball together?"

If a human being could physically melt, Cypress would have. Willow shrieked out loud. Oliver beamed shyly at Cypress, his cheeks flaming. The Slytherin took Oliver's hands into his own and nodded vigorously.

"Yes, definitely," Cypress said, his voice rather pitched.

Oliver noticed the speech in his other hand and blushed profusely. "Did you prepare a speech for me? You can still say it — "

"No amount of words could ever be worthy of you, Oliver," Cypress admitted.

Willow thought her heart would explode. She cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed, "OLIVER AND CYPRESS ARE GOING TO THE BALL TOGETHER!"

The Earth nearly shook at the assault of noise from the teenagers. Cypress only smirked at the attention while Oliver flushed so red that Willow wondered if it was healthy. She didn't care, though. She was far too happy to stop celebrating now.

"Willow, you haven't asked anyone, have you?" Sam said, raising an eyebrow at her. "I wonder if — "

"Shhh!" Sally shushed, elbowing her brother in the stomach. "Don't spoil it!"

Willow glanced between the Smith twins with the light of curiosity in her face. "Don't spoil what?"

At that moment, a letter magically fluttered into her hands. Willow stumbled backwards in surprise, and by the time she recovered, the letter had unfolded itself to display a simple message:

Turn around. Follow the trail.

Willow pivoted to find a bunch of Bantam Bursts exploding sequentially, as if they were leading her towards something. She heard Sally squeal with anticipation and suddenly realized what this was. Butterflies assaulted her stomach once more. Forcing the red out of her face, Willow purposefully followed the fireworks to certain confrontation — with her emotions.