Okay, Crissy, for one thing, you had that pen name before.  That was before you decided to change it!  So there!  Oh, yeah, and I finally figured out that when you post this, it automatically does the space thingy between paragraphs, which explains why my fic is so long…*grins* yes, it took me eight chapters to figure that out…in case anyone cares, I fixed it all…one more thing before I start my explanations.  I am dedicating this chapter to my best friend Jordan, who recently moved to Bloomington, and just had her 13th birthday on March 21st.  Happy birthday, Jo!!!  I dunno how much she likes romance, but it's the best me and Crissy could do.  *grin* Anywayz, I realise that the "I love you" scene in last chapter happened a bit quickly.  (I kinda looked at that right after I had posted it and thought, "Oopsie…")  Really sorry about that, but that's just how I imagined that happening to me.  Yes, I'm a failure when it comes to love lives, ask any of my buds (never mind—don't answer that!), but still…meeting a tall dark and handsome, falling in love, knowing that he loves me in return…*droolz* yes, I know, it's just a dream, but it could happen…*sigh* yeah right…

Silent Tears

Part VIII:

The Christmas Ball (and a few unexpected meetings)

The days flew by as everyone anticipated the Christmas Ball.  Harry couldn't believe that he was actually looking forward to it.

Before he knew it, it was Christmas Eve.  Nearly everyone of fourth year and above was staying, so the common room was very crowded for this time of year.  Some people were trying to get through their homework over with so they wouldn't have anything to do for the rest of break except for eat and sleep.  One of these people was, of course, Hermione.  As odd as it may seem, this was unusual for her to be working right before Christmas.  There was obviously something bothering her, because she rarely spoke to anyone anymore, even Harry or Ron.

"I can't take this anymore!" she burst out savagely, throwing down her quill and standing up.

"What?" said Harry and Ron together, who where playing Exploding Snap, extremely startled by her sudden outburst.

"All this noise!" she ranted on, her eyes flashing dangerously.  "I'm going to the library!"  And she stalked off without another word.

"What was that all about?"  Ron and Harry asked at the same time, utterly bewildered.

*********

Hermione slammed her books down on a table in the mostly-empty library.  She turned the pages of Ancient Runes for Dummies feverishly fast (it was her worst subject, after Divination, so needless to say, she was getting all the help she could get), trying to find the page for her assignment.

The ancient study of runes dates back to the times when witches and wizards were only beginning…each symbol represents either a sentence or a word—

But the words were blurred by the tears that were filling her eyes, losing all hope at once.

"It isn't fair!" she hissed angrily, slamming the book shut as the tears fell from her eyes, splashing down onto the paper.  She forced herself to calm down, resting her head in her hands and drawing shuddering breaths.  "I am such an idiot!" she whispered lethally to herself despite her efforts.  "How could I even think they would stay single forever?"

An image of her two best friends popped into her head.  Harry with his jagged scar, covered by his unruly jet black hair that brought out the sparkle in his bright green eyes.  He was tall and thin, but somewhat muscley, a characteristic that Draco didn't have.  Harry with his slightly tanned skin and a smile that could make just about any girl in the school melt on the spot.

Then of course, there was Ron.  Her flame haired friend had grown nicely into his big nose and feet, causing him to look about the height of most seventh years.  When he stood next to Fred and George, he was often mistaken for a triplet of theirs, though his sparkling blue eyes contrasted with their green ones, and his slightly less freckled face held more innocence than theirs.

Then somewhere deep in the back of her mind, another image loomed.  It was Draco.  He was also slightly taller than her, but not quite as tall as Harry or Ron.  His passive, stone cold greyish silver eyes never betrayed a single emotion within him, and his evil smirk ever lingered on his lips.  He was always pale, even after summer vacation, and his silver blonde hair often glinted with a nearly metallic shine.

Suddenly, a cold, pale hand touched her shoulder, bringing her back to the real world with a sudden jolt, causing her to wince as she jumped about three feet in the air.  Whipping around, she came face to face with—

—Draco.

Narrowing her dark mahogany eyes that had suddenly dried in her surprise, she glared up at those silver grey ones that almost always held her spellbound.  "What do you want?"

"I…was…just…"  His cold composure cracked as he fumbled nervously for the right words, his eyes holding something that she couldn't quite place.  "Do—do you want to go to the ball with me?"

Of course!  she thought wildly to herself, but instead the words that came out of her mouth were, "No!  You're a Slytherin!"

His face crumpled, and the look in his eyes was that of someone who was just told that their dog had died.  "So?"

She stared into his big silver eyes and tried to say, Yes, I'll go with you!  but her mouth didn't seem to be working right.  "I said no, Malfoy, so why don't you just go be obnoxious with your other Slytherin friends and leave me alone?"

His back straightened with a snap and he glared down at her through steel slits of rage.  For a wild second, she thought he was going to whip out his wand and curse her.  Instead, he just gave her a weltering glare.  "You could have just said no," he muttered, his voice void of all emotion, save for the hurt that pierced her heart.  Turning around, he stalked out of the library, his slim fingers clenched into fists, and his thin lips formed into a straight line.

Before she could stop herself, she screamed out to him with her thoughts.  Wait, Draco!  I'm sorry, I'll go with you!  But there was no response.  It was just as she had suspected.

She had completely lost the connection.

********

Later that day, Hermione stopped, miles away from the library.  Hot, angry tears were splashing down her front.  What had just happened?  Did Draco actually ask her out?  No, no way.  This wasn't possible.  What did she have that he wanted so badly that he couldn't simply ask Pansy out for? 

She shook her head, wiping her eyes.  Guys were so unpredictable.  

*********

"Uhg!" said Ron, covering his face with his hands.

"What is it?"  Harry asked lazily, staring out the dark window at the falling, swirling snowflakes.

"I just remembered—tomorrow is the Christmas Ball," he said faintly.

"Yeah, and…?"

"And all I have to wear are cruddy maroon robes!"

Harry shrugged.

"Well, at least we have dates this year."

"Good point…"  Ron sighed.  "I'm going to bed."  He stood up and climbed the stairs to the dorms.

Harry got up, frowning.  Why hadn't the twins gotten those robes for him? 

"Hey, Fred, George," he said, walking over to them.  They looked up from the parchment that they were using to count all the money they'd earned from their Canary Creams and their newly invented Sugar Gliders (little white airplane-like pieces of sugar that really flew) and smiled at Harry.

"Hello, Harry, what can we do for you today?" said George.

"I was just wondering, did you get those dress robes for Ron yet?  Because he says all he has are his maroon ones."

"Don't worry, he'll be getting a nice present for Christmas," Fred assured him, winking.  "From us," he added.

Harry relaxed.

"Thanks," he said.  "See you tomorrow."

"You got a date to the ball this time?"  George asked.

"Yeah…"

"Good job, mate, told you it was a piece of cake," said Fred, grinning at him.  "Merry Christmas."

*********

"Merry Christmas Harry!"  Ron shouted joyfully the following morning, ripping back the hangings around his best friend's bed.  Seamus, Dean, and Neville had already gone down for breakfast.

"Mmm?" said Harry drowsily, sitting up and taking his glasses off the table and putting them on.  Ron was ripping his way through his Christmas presents when he came across a parcel that he didn't recognise.

"Huh?" he breathed, lifting the parcel off the floor, which seemed to be quite light.  "Wonder what this is?"

Harry watched from his bed as Ron read the attached letter.

" 'Merry Christmas, Love Fred and George,'" he read aloud.  Shrugging, he proceeded to unwrapping the gift.

"Wow," he said, lifting something dark orange—almost red—from the paper.  It was the exact colour of his hair.  "New dress robes," he muttered, running his hand over the light, velvety material.  "Wonder where they got the money?"

Harry shrugged, hiding his smile.

"These are wonderful," he went on, "Thank God I don't have to wear those bloody maroon ones anymore."

After unwrapping their gifts, the two boys went downstairs for breakfast.

********

The rest of the day flashed by.  In a matter of seconds, it seemed, they were from breakfast to the Christmas feast (the ball didn't include a feast this time).  Before they could blink, it was seven o'clock, time for everyone to prepare for the ball.  Hermione had disappeared hours before, probably trying out some new hair style, thought Harry.

Trudging up the stairs, they pulled out their dress robes, surveying themselves in the mirrors.  Harry tried desperately to flatten his hair.

"Wow," Ron breathed, staring, transfixed, at his image in the glass.  "I look good."

Harry smirked.  "Save it for Alex, Ron," he sniggered.  "I wouldn't be surprised if she's run off with someone else by now with all the time you've spent admiring yourself."

"Yeah, let's go," said Ron, taking a deep breath, as though preparing for the worst.

They met Alex Prelling downstairs.  Her hair was in a zigzag part, her bangs curling under her chin elegantly.  She was stunningly pretty in robes of the deepest purple velvet, almost black.

"Hello, Ron," she said upon seeing him, her voice flatteringly warm.

"He-hello," Ron stuttered, momentarily lost for words.

Harry could feel himself being watched closely.  He turned his head to see Ginny standing nearby, arm in arm with Colin Creevey, dressed in red robes of fine satin, who was chattering away energetically at her elbow (he was still very short).  When she saw Harry return her gaze, she looked away.

Ron prodded him in the back.

"C'mon, Harry, get going.  Don't want to keep Cho waiting, now, do we?"

"No," Harry answered absently, wrenching his gaze from Ginny.

"Where's Hermione?"  Harry asked, suddenly realising she wasn't there.  Ron shrugged.

"No idea.  Haven't seen her since this morning."

Assuming that she found someone to go out with who she wanted to be kept secret until the last minute, they headed down to the entrance hall where everyone else was, waiting for the doors to open, for the ball to begin.

"Hello, Harry," said a voice in his ear.  He turned around to see Cho, breathtakingly beautiful in robes of Ravenclaw blue.  Her hair was up in a large clip, her bangs hanging down at the sides of her face in large curls.

"Well, we've managed the impossible," said Harry, unable to take his eyes off her, " of not running into each other."

"Quite true," she said, looping her arm around his.  "Shall we, then?"

"Sure."  Harry glanced at Ron, who winked, holding Alex's hand.

The doors to the Hall opened at that moment, and everyone rushed forward.

The Hall was spectacular.  Warm, dry snow was falling from the starry ceiling, making the twelve Christmas trees glitter and sparkle.  Holly and mistletoe hung on the walls.  The tables had been moved back so that several small circular tables stood here and there, but out of the way, near a bar that had set up with refreshments, stood a stand with a synthesizer, guitar, drums, and a microphone that stood at the other end, leaving plenty of room for dancing.  It seemed that Dumbledore had booked another music group.

Harry, Cho, Alex, Ron, Ginny, and Colin all sat at one table, leaving two chairs for Hermione and her date, though she wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Once everyone was seated, Dumbledore remained standing.

"Merry Christmas, one and all!" he beamed at them, after silence had fallen.  "I am pleased to see that you have each found someone of importance to you to share this event of great importance."  He glanced at the table where Harry was seated.  "Now, may the ball begin!"

There was scattered applause and cheers from the students, and a group of about five or six young men marched onstage, dressed mainly in dragon hide leather.

Taking their places in front of their instruments, the group struck up a slow, beautiful tune.  People where tentatively rising from their seats, dancing to the music.  Harry glanced nervously at Cho.  He was terrible at dancing—what would she think of him?  She looked just as nervous as him.  He hesitantly held out his hand, which she took, and joined the others on the dance floor.  Ron and Alex followed, and, after a while, so did Ginny and Colin, Ginny with an expression on her face that clearly said she would rather go to hell, and Colin looking extremely excited about having the best looking girl of the year agree to go to the ball with him, not noticing how very resentful she sounded when she did.

Harry wished that tonight would last forever, despite his dancing problem.  Though awkward at first, he and Cho were soon dancing gracefully around the Hall.  Cho, Harry noted, danced extremely elegantly, something he hadn't noticed last year while watching her with Cedric.  She was so graceful that she made him feel clumsy and slow.  She didn't steer him, like Parvati did, but moved with him, gently guiding his steps.

They continued dancing through two more short songs.  Alex disappeared for a few minutes, then returned to Ron with a very pleased smile on her face.  When he asked her where she had gone, she only shook her head and smiled again, pulling him closer.

When the song ended, a new one sprang up.  These notes were beautiful and calm in an eerie way, washing over Harry like a wave of warm water.  Then the lyrics came:

Now that she's back in the atmosphere                                                                                                                                                                                  With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey, hey…

The words held a certain meaning, one that Harry couldn't place. 

Since the return of her stay on the moon,                                                                                                                                                                               She listens like spring and talks like June…

Harry's gaze travelled over to Alex and Ron.  Alex had her eyes closed and was listening to the music, tranquillity written all over her face.  She leaned against Ron, who looked quite terrified, but gradually relaxed.

Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken,                                                                                                                                                             Your best friend always sticking up for you even when I know you're wrong.                                                                                                          Can you imagine no first dance, freeze-dried romance, five-hour phone conversation,                                                                                            The best soy latte that you ever had…and me…

It was plain, at this moment, that it was not only a Muggle song, but American, which explained why nobody had ever heard it before, except for Alex.

Tell me, did you sail across the sun                                                                                                                                                                                        Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded                                                                                                                                     And that heaven is overrated                                                                                                                                                                                     Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star                                                                                                                                                                      One without a permanent scar                                                                                                                                                                                   And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there.

…and did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day…

With that, the song ended.

"Wow," said Cho.  "American Muggles know a lot more about music than we give them credit for, don't they?"

"Yeah," Harry agreed.

"Let's sit down for a while, now, shall we?  My feet are killing me."  The band had finally struck up a livelier tune. 

"Sure."

They left the dance floor to sit back down with Ron and Alex.  Ginny and Colin where sitting there as well.

"I'm sorry, but I just had to request that," Alex was saying wistfully, "It's my favourite song.  One of my best friends in the U.S., Michelle, she's Muggle-born, so she showed me her CD's."

"CD's…?"  Ron said blankly.

"Oh, sorry.  Compact disks, they play music," she explained.

"Oh…"

Harry suddenly noticed a pretty girl with long, wavy, white-blonde hair that looked as if it was mostly kept in a braid.  She wore light blue robes with tiny silver rhinestones set in them that shone in the dim light with her every movement.  She appeared to be lost and looking for someone; Harry had never seen this girl before, and she was surely in fourth year.  She was questioning a group of people, who pointed over at Harry.  The girl smiled and thanked them, rushing over to where they had pointed.

"Alex!" she called, and Harry could detect a strong American accent.  Alex almost choked on her butterbeer that Ron had brought her as she stared at the girl in utter amazement.

"Michelle?" she gasped.  "How did you—where did you—?"  But she was suddenly swept up in a hug by the girl.

"Alex!  I missed you so much!"

"Michelle!  I can't believe it's you!" said Alex, recovering from the shock.

"This is so cool!  I heard our song played just a little while ago, so I knew you had to be nearby.  Who are your friends?" Michelle added.

"This is Harry Potter, the Quidditch captain, my date, Ron Weasley—" Ron blushed deep scarlet—"Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister, my very good friend, and her—date—Colin Creevey."

Michelle shook everyone's hand, still wearing a shy grin.

"Everyone, this is my wonderful friend, Veronica Michelle Wilson.  Only she would rather be called Michelle," Alex added hastily under Veronica's furious glare.  "How's Crissy?  Does she miss me yet?"

"Oh, yeah.  She's been spending half of her time singing that damn Shrek song.  Iiiiii'm all alone, there's no one here beside me…"  Alex started singing with her, though she was giggling so hard that she ended up snorting.

Veronica Wilson?  V.W.?  Harry shot a look at Ron, who must have been thinking the same thing.  But then he was brought back to earth with a slight bump when he realised that Alex was speaking to him.

"…Michelle is a Beater, did you know that, Harry?  She's one of the best I've ever seen."

"Oh, that reminds me, somehow," said Michelle, "I've got really good news.  My mom talked to the principle here—"

"Headmaster, Michelle," Alex corrected.

"Oh, whatever.  Well, they've both going to let me stay here for the rest of the year."

"Really?  That's great!  You know, Harry, couldn't we use a reserve Beater this year?"

"Well, we really don't need one, as we're out of the running for the cup…" said Harry resentfully.  Cho patted his arm sympathetically, making several people grin behind his or her hands.

"And it was all bloody Malfoy's fault!"  Ron roared.

"Calm down, Ron," Alex whispered.

It suddenly occurred to Harry that he hadn't yet seen Malfoy.  As casually as he could, he gazed around the Hall, but Draco was nowhere to be seen

"So what school did you guys go to?"  Ron asked.

"Millburn School of the Magical Arts," Michelle and Alex answered together.  They looked at each other, then burst into laughter.  Michelle's laugh was loud and slightly high, a sudden burst of sound so contagious that it made everyone smile.  It was the kind that came not only from her stomach, but from her very soul.

"Tell us about the teachers," Ginny insisted, "Were they nice?"

"Most of them were," said Alex, controlling herself, "Our Potions teacher is pregnant, she's a riot—very much the opposite of Professor Snape."

"I'll say," Ron muttered, "And I'd pay to see the day that Snape gets pregnant."

Everyone nearly fell out of their chairs with laughter, causing people at nearby tables to stare.  Michelle's laugh made everyone laugh even harder.

"Then there was our Arithmancy teacher, Mrs. Sutton," Michelle choked.  [And at this point, all my buds and I run away, screaming.]  "She was boring, to say the least.  And she would always yell at us.  We never really were able to absorb anything she told us—"

"Yeah.  My grade in her class was barely passing," Alex grumbled.   

"Our Charms teacher was okay," Michelle went on, "but she always seemed to favour you."

Alex shrugged.  "It was my strong class, what can I say?  Transfiguration was okay," said added, "We always somehow managed to get off the subject with her…Oh, the subject I hated the most was History of Magic with Mr. Schroeder, next to Arithmancy.  That wasn't dull, just pointless.  He hated me, I know it.  Michelle wasn't in my class, but my best friend Crissy and I told her all about that time that she got in loads of trouble because she sighed after he told her to stay in for recess—"

"Then afterwards she was like, 'What would you have rathered me say?  Kiss my ass you gay bastard?'"  Michelle interrupted with a snigger. 

Harry and Ron stared at them as if they had sprouted extra heads.

And the conversation went on, interrupted occasionally by bursts of laughter.  Then another slow song came on, and they all parted.  Alex told Michelle to scout out the area for any guys she found worthy to dance with her, and everyone danced.

*********

Standing in the shadows behind one of the towering evergreens, Hermione stared longingly at the two tall figures, swaying slowly in time with the music, their partners leaning close, savouring the evening.  Furious, blinded by jealousy, she spun around, meaning to stalk away to the bar, when she bumped into someone very tall—and quite familiar.

"Hello, Herm-own-ninny," said a deep voice.

"Viktor!"  Hermione gasped.  "What on earth are you doing here?"

He smiled a secret smile, the one that she knew so well.

"I received a lettair from a friend of yours.  He didn't give his name, only that you needed someone for the Christmas ball."

"Oh—well, that's really sweet of you—and him," she faltered as Viktor gathered her in his arms.  She smiled back at him at last.  "Let's dance."

Several songs later, Hermione caught herself staring at Harry with a powerful ache in her heart.  Krum noticed.

"You loff Potter, don't you?" he asked carefully.

"I—no, of course not!"  Hermione protested.  Viktor smiled at her.

"It's alright, Herm-own-ninny.  I can alvays tell.  It doesn't matter.  I am avare that you think I am far too old for you, so maybe it is time that ve see different people…"

"No!  Harry already has a girlfriend…and I missed you so much…"

"Maybe now is not the time to talk about it," Krum interrupted gently.  "I can see that the topic upsets you.  Maybe later…"

Hermione nodded.  She was just relaxing when a movement of something silver-blonde caught her eye.  Then it stopped.

Draco Malfoy was standing across the Hall, watching her as she and Viktor danced.  He saluted, smiling.

"Merry Christmas," he mouthed, and disappeared into the crowd.

**********

"Let's go outside.  It's far too warm in here."

"Good idea."

Cho lead Harry through the Great Hall to the grounds outside.  There was a short, narrow path among the many rosebushes that had been conjured there for the sake of the evening.  They set off down the path, trying to think of something to talk about to fill the awkward silence.

"So, how have you been doing these past few months?"  Harry began lamely, cringing at his words.  Cho smiled at his pathetic attempt at small talk, and move closer to him as if cold.

"Oh, just fine," she replied, humouring him.

The awkward silence was more pronounced than ever.

"I like your robes," Cho blurted, "Green's a good colour on you.  It brings out your eyes."

"You really think so?  Thanks.  I like yours too.  They bring out your—"  He gulped, his eyes travelling to the tight robes that emphasized her chest.  "Your—hair colour?" he squeaked, flushing.  Cho smiled again.

"Yes, I've heard that from a lot of people tonight," she answered, her dark eyes sparkling.  Then she shivered slightly, not from the cold, but from the look he was giving her.  It wasn't the forbidden "elevator eyes," but a look of deep respect that not very many guys these days gave her.  Most of them were male chauvinist pigs that were too intent on her tantalizing figure.   

 "Are you cold?"  Harry asked, seeing her shiver, his voice bringing her back to earth from her thoughts.

"A little," she answered, allowing him to cover her shoulders with his surprisingly large arms.  Quidditch practise was obviously paying off; he'd make a pretty good Beater, Cho thought.  His dress robes, which had been far too big for him last year, were now almost too small: They were slightly stretched over broad shoulders that he definitely hadn't had last year.

She blushed slightly, putting her smaller arm timidly around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder.  She could feel his body tense up nervously, and his fingers twitch.  She put her other hand lightly on his right shoulder and moved in front of him, looking into his big, lovely emerald eyes…

He felt her move in front of him and looked up.  His heart leapt right out of his chest and into his throat.  For several seconds, he held her gaze, then without thinking, he leaned forward, catching her back in his hands, and pressed his lips softly against hers.  He could feel her relaxing into his embrace as she slowly pulled him closer.  Her arms moved from his waist to around his neck, deepening the kiss.

For a long time, they held that position, never moving.  But just as Harry was drifting off to a peaceful realm of his own, a very amused voice shattered the silence of his mind.

Well, well, well.  Congratulations, Potter.

Choking, Harry pulled back from Cho.

"Malfoy!" he gasped, looking into the shadows. 

"What?" asked Cho, quite confused, her hands still on his shoulders.  "What does he have to do with this?"  [At this point, she is implying that Harry and Draco have something going on, which, of course, they don't.  AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!  SLASH MOMENT!!!  k, I'm done.]  Harry shook his head and motioned to the shadowy rosebushes behind them, half concealing a stone bench and the very mischievous, pale blonde boy who was perched on it, watching the two lazily, the moonlight turning his hair to molten silver.  Malfoy grinned, amused, at Harry's look of surprise and embarrassment, quickly being replaced by rage.

"It's been over ten minutes," Malfoy drawled, glancing at his watch.  "You two can sure put on quite a show."

Both Cho and Harry flushed this time.

"Get lost, you little piece of—"  he started acidly, his fist clenching, after he had stepped away from Cho.

"Never mind, Harry," Cho interrupted quietly.  "Let him watch."  She glared at Draco.  "Go to hell, Malfoy," she snapped viciously, and grabbed Harry, and kissed him again.  Caught entirely by surprise, Harry stiffened, but gradually melted into her arms.  He glanced at Malfoy out of the corner of his eye, and was pleased to see him looking astonished—and maybe even a bit jealous [no slash intended], then equally pleased to hear him say distantly, "Okay, that's it, I've had enough!  This is making me sick!"  And he almost ran back inside.  Harry was so completely happy by now that he forgot about all his thoughts and worries, savouring the moment, making it last forever.

So engrossed in each other they were that they didn't even notice the small brunette figure hiding among the leaves.  Yet Hermione Granger was there, watching them, her thoughts and feelings confirmed.  She had come looking for him, simply to say hello, and definitely hadn't been expecting this.  Slowly and sadly, she turned her back, vowing to never love again.

**********

As Harry had learned last year, when you are dreading or enjoying something, and in either case would give anything to slow time down, no matter what you do, it has this annoying habit of speeding up.  All too soon, it was midnight, and the ball was at an end.  Cho and Harry walked back inside, standing close together.

"You know," Harry said after a moment, "this may sound odd, but—"

"Don't tell me you've never kissed before," Cho interrupted, "because I wouldn't believe you."  Harry grinned.  Cho giggled and stood on her tiptoes, kissing him on the cheek before heading off to the Ravenclaw common room.

Harry stood, mesmerised, watching her leave, his fingers now resting on the spot where she had just kissed him, remembering how her soft lips felt against his cheek…

He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.  Turning around, he saw a dark haired girl with her fist extended.

"What was that for, Alex?" he asked, rubbing his shoulder.

Alex dropped her fist, glaring at him murderously.  "How could you do that to her?"

"Do what to who?" he asked confusedly.

Alex pointed wordlessly at the girl with red hair who was running down the hall, her face in her hands.  "She has loved you ever since she met you, and you haven't even given her so much as a nice word or a hug!"

Harry opened his mouth to counter her accusation, but she held up a hand in his face.

"Save it for Cho, lover-boy," she said coldly, and she turned around and ran after Ginny.

Harry stood there, his mouth wide open.  His day had just gone from amazing to horrible in mere seconds.  A pang of guilt shot through him as he realised just how true her words had been.  He trudged slowly back to the common room, his feet as heavy as his heart.  When he arrived, he was met my Ron and Hermione.

"Hey, Hermione, we didn't see you at all tonight.  Did you end up going with anybody?"  Harry asked, trying to shake the feeling that everyone was watching him.

"Krum came," Hermione said, trying to hide the edge of irony that was creeping into her voice.  She smiled, her fists clenching underneath her robes.  "Draco sent him an owl."  She kept her composure, but inside she was screaming at herself.  It had just dawned on her that out of the three, right now Draco was the only one who cared.  When she had refused harshly to go to the ball with him, he had gotten the guy that she would.

"Really?  That's…great!"  Harry answered, though he noticed that her smile was cold, almost frozen on her face.

"And how was it with Cho?"  Hermione asked, struggling to keep her voice neutral, but she couldn't help but notice that his face had gone slightly pink and that his robes were a little loose.

"Alright," he answered, casually straightening his robes as his face darkened to a bright red, though his brow was slightly creased, telling her that his evening hadn't been all he had said.

"That's…good.  Well, I better get to bed now.  Good-night."

"Night."  It seemed to Harry that Hermione was trying to end this conversation as fast as possible, so he let her go even though he had a nagging feeling inside him that said there was more to the situation that she was letting on.

**********

"Shh…it's okay, Ginny, it's okay," Alex said soothingly up in the fourth year girls' dorms.  Ginny had been sitting on her bed crying for over an hour now.  Michelle was running back and forth for tissues, nearly upsetting several cages along the way.  Their dorm was full with Michelle's numerous pets and even a few wild animals such as squirrels and chipmunks with injuries that she had nursed back to health.  ("For crying out loud, Michelle," Alex had said, "These poor creatures are in enough pain without your help.")  Ginny was at the moment stroking a tabby kitten called Nikki (Michelle's favourite pet), sniffing as Alex tried to comfort her.

"Really, Ginny, you're overreacting.  He's older, his tastes are different, even if they aren't good tastes, he's still got his reasons," Alex said, patting her on the arm.

"Wow," Ginny said sarcastically, "You're really good at cheering people up, Alex…"

"Hey, I'm doing the best I can, so take it or leave it," she grumbled, scowling.  But then her face softened.  "If it's any consolation," she said softly after a moment's pause, "he looked really upset after I yelled at him.  I think he's actually feeling some remorse for how he's treated you."

"It's not that he's treated me badly…"  Ginny began, "it's that he hasn't even given me a chance."

"And I don't know if that's gonna help much," Michelle said, "cuz a lot of people look upset after you yell at them."

Alex gave her a nasty look as Michelle handed Ginny another tissue.  After blowing her nose, she sighed.

"I guess I shouldn't be getting all worked up over one guy," she said at last.

"That's right," said Michelle, "Remember that saying, Alex?  How did it go?"

" 'Someone who makes you cry isn't worth your tears, and the one who is, won't make you cry,'" she said solemnly, then she sighed.  "I had to learn that the hard way.  At least you were mature enough not to break down right in front of him."

"You were two years younger back then," Michelle reminded her.  "And besides, you had had no prior experience with guys."

"All right, all right!  Let's all just go to sleep now, okay?"  Alex gave Ginny a big hug and climbed into her bed.

"Goodnight."

"'Night."

*********

Hermione lay in bed, staring up at the dark canopy.  Why? she asked herself.  Why do these things always happen to me?  Ron wasn't supposed to get a girlfriend, and neither was Harry. 

Damn them!  Damn them for loving!

But suddenly, she recalled something that she had said once before.  Her own words stung as they rang through her head, but this time it was Ron's voice that was shouting them.

"Ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!"

She buried her head in her pillow, trying to blot out the familiar voice, but it grew louder and louder as if he was standing right next to her, screaming in her ear.

"What have I done?" she muttered, bitter tears falling from her eyes and soaking her pillow.

**********

Ack, there I go again.  Stupid—rushed—romance.  Sometimes I just get a little carried away...This is turning from angst to a soap opera!  Crissy wrote the first kiss, by the way…Right, now, before you all start flaming, let me explain and apologise for a few more things.  Number one:  I know I was exaggerating a bit with Drops of Jupiter, but it is, like Alex's, my favourite song.  Number two:  Michelle is, in truth, a replica of my good friend K.A., whose middle name is Michelle.  Her first name is Sarah (not the one obsessed with Neopets--K.A. is Sarah M.'s nickname, standing for Kick Ass.)  The description of her is genuine.  She requested that I put tons of animals in her dorm.  Nikki is, by the way, her only real pet.  I just hope she doesn't come and hunt me down for that description...anyway, we all go to Millburn School, both Sarahs, Crissy, P.D. (Puppy Dog), Sapphire Rose, all my buds.  Those teachers are real as well.  Our Science teacher is pregnant, our L.A. teacher favours me (at least, I think she does…or maybe it's just that the work is too easy?  Oh, no, that doesn't mean you should give me more homework…), our Math teacher  is Mrs. Sutton, Mr. Schroeder teaches Social Studies and has some real problems (oh dear, maybe I shouldn't be typing this, I don't know how many of my teachers are reading this!  *gulps*  Just don't give me detention, or tell dear Mr. Schroeder, you all are still my favourite teachers!  And that detention joke wasn't funny, Megan…*big winning grin*  Thank God for freedom of speech.  There you go, Mr. Schroeder, the Constitution in action!), you guys get the gist.  Well, I better stop there before my mouth and fingers get me in trouble (not that they haven't before.  *cough cough grin*).  Till next time, my friends!  (For those of you who are still my friends...)