Chapter Four- Halloween Ball p
A whole month had passed and all the students could talk about was the Halloween Ball. Classes were going to be cancelled for the day so students could go into Hogsmede and get their costumes. p
"I hope Rhett asks me!" Chutney told Bailee during Herbology. p
Bailee laughed; of course Rhett was going to ask her. p
"Who do you think is going to ask you?" p
"I don't know…" Bailee replied. p
She turned and stared in Alec's direction. The incident on the train played in the back of her mind every once in a while. How she longed to kiss him again. p
Alec looked up from his mandrake and noticed Bailee watching him. He blushed furiously and tried to concentrate on his work. Bailee turned her attention back to the front and Alec let out a deep breath. p
After class the fifth year students and up left for the town of Hogsmede. Hogsmede was similar to Diagon Alley, in Bailee's opinion. She walked down the street with Chutney and Michelle towards Roland's Clothes for Youths. p
"I bet Rooney will ask you to the ball." Michelle told Bailee as they entered the enormous store. p
The second they entered the store, they parted in their own directions. Bailee let out a low squeal when she saw the most beautiful lacy white dress ever. Without hesitation she paid for the dress and went on a hunt for matching faerie wings. p
Alec was standing in front of Zonko's when he saw Bailee walk past him.br
"Hey Bailee!" p
Bailee stopped and smiled when she saw Alec. br
"Hi Alec." She replied brushing back her hair. p
"Do you want to get a butterbeer with me?" Alec inquired pointing towards the Three Broomsticks. p
"Sure." Bailee agreed. p
Alec grinned and opened the Three Broomsticks door for her then they found a seat in the back corner. Alec walked to the bar and ordered their drinks then he sat down across from Bailee. He looked at all the Halloween Decorations. Jack-o-lanterns hung from ceiling, much like they did at Hogwarts. There were even real spider webs on the walls. p
"So are you looking forward to Halloween?" Bailee asked him. p
"Oh defiantly! Halloween is my favourite holiday." Alec told her. p
Bailee took a sip of her butterbeer and stared around the bar. She was receiving odd looks from a few Ravenclaws sitting at a table near by. Bailee didn't like the unwanted attention and stared down at the checkered table. p
Alec noticed something was wrong when she didn't answer his question (what are you going to be for Halloween?). He turned and realized that Ste and Rhett had just entered the Three Broomsticks. p
"Do you want to go to Honeydukes?" Alec asked her. p
"Okay, sure." Bailee responded. p
They paid for their butterbeers and then walked outside towards Honeydukes candy shop. p
"So, who is taking you to the Halloween Ball?" Alec inquired thumbing through the boxes of chocolate frogs. p
"Well, I don't know yet." Bailee replied blankly. She had been asked by Rhett, Rooney and even Todd Creevy, but she didn't want Alec to know that. p
"You mean no one has asked you?" Alec inquired in shock. p
"Well no. Guys have asked me, just no one I am particularly fond of." Bailee replied paying for a bunch of peppermint lolly pops. p
"Oh." p
Bailee smiled and handed a lolly pop to Alec, hoping he had caught her hint. Alec thanked her and then saw Ste and Rhett enter the store. He had a funny feeling that he and Bailee were being followed. p
"Bailee, maybe we could, you know, go to the ball together." Alec suggested watching Ste and Rhett move closer to them. p
"I'd love to!" Bailee squealed. p
Alec smiled at her as Rhett and Ste approached them.br
"What are you so happy about Malfoy?" Ste sneered. p
"Nothing…"p
"Come on Alec, we should head back to Hogswart." Bailee stated glaring at Rhett and Ste. p
They went back to the castle and entered their dormitory. Alec plopped on the sofa while Bailee ran to her room and stored her dress. Beads of sweat rested on Alec's forehead as he thought about Ste and Rhett back at Honeydukes. Ste looked like he was going to pound him just for breathing the same air as Bailee. p
Alec sighed furiously. Why was it so wrong for him to like a Gryffindor? p
"What's wrong?" Bailee inquired entering the common room. She sat down beside him and stared at him. p
"Huh? Oh…nothing. I was thinking." Alec replied absentmindedly. p
"Well that never hurt anybody." Bailee smirked. p
"Yeah…hey, what time is it?" p
"Oh my gosh, it's half past five! We better get ready!" She exclaimed reading the grandfather clock. p
Bailee jumped up and ran into her room, remembering that she didn't have any faerie wings, she had to make do with what she had. Quickly, Bailee did her make-up. Silver eye shadow and light pink lipstick. Then she magically put her hair up into funky twists. Last, but certainly not least, she slipped into the dress. The dress had skinny straps and a low neck line. It cut off just before her knees and was fringed at the bottom with pink lace. Bailee stood up in front of her mirror gazing at her reflection when she heard a knock coming from the Gryffindor common room. p
Slowly she opened the door to find Rooney standing there. p
"Wow…" He trailed off. p
"Can I help you Rooney?" Bailee inquired impatiently. p
"Please…be my date tonight." He said brushing back his silver blond hair. p
"I'm sorry, I already have a date. Why don't you ask Michelle Patil?" p
"But we always go together and she is going with Ste- wait a second. Who's your date?" p
"What is it any concern to you?" Bailee wanted to know. p
"It's not. You're going with Malfoy, aren't you?" Rooney stated crossing his arms. p
"So what if I am? I don't see how that's any business of yours." Bailee said exasperated. p
"How could you? That's sick!" p
Bailee rolled her eyes and slammed the door in her face. Then she heard a knock again as she was putting on her white slippers. She groaned. p
"Rooney! Leave me alone!" She roared. p
The door opened and Alec stood in the doorway from their common room staring at her questionably. p
"Oh. I thought you were…" p
"Rooney Chang?" Alec supplied. p
"Yeah." Bailee replied walking towards him. p
"Sorry to disappoint you." Alec smiled linking her arm with his. p
"Believe me, I am far from disappointed." p
They walked into their common room and paused. Alec was dressed like a player from the Ballycastle Bats Quidditch team. He wore long black robes with a scarlet bat on his chest. p
"My brother Trent would kill you for that." Bailee joked. p
"Ohh…sorry, orange isn't my colour…" Alec teased as they left their dorm. p
"Orange isn't Trent's colour either." p
If Trent knew Bailee had just insulted his team, he'd be very displeased. But the Chudley Cannons hadn't won the League since 1892 and everyone knew it. p
"You look so beautiful." Alec said snapping her out of her thoughts. p
Bailee blushed as they approached the Great Hall. They was a sudden rush of silence as they entered the great hall. Even some of the professors stopped and stared at them. p
"Let's dance." Alec told Bailee. p
He grabbed her hand and Bailee stared at the ceiling made up of floating jack-o-lanterns so she wouldn't see the disturbing looks from her peers. p
The shocked crowd died down as the music began to play. Alec lead Bailee to the center of the wooden dance floor. Carefully he put his arms around her waist as she put her arms around his neck. They began to move slowly to the music. p
Right then, Chutney entered the Great Hall with Rhett, and Ste with Michelle. p
"Oh my gosh!" Chutney exclaimed when she saw Bailee and Alec on the dance floor. p
"So, Rooney was right!" Ste replied. p
"What do we do about it?" Rhett inquired. p
"Nothing." Michelle spoke in Bailee's defense as the four found a table to sit down. p
"And even worse, he is dressed like the Ballycastle Bats!" Chutney added. p
Michelle rolled her dark brown eyes. Half the boys were dressed like Quidditch players, and most of them like the Ballycastle Bats. p
"Isn't this great?" Alec inquired as the next song began to play. p
"Yeah! I'm having a really good time." Bailee replied flashing her grin. p
"Excuse me, but may I cut in?" p
Bailee looked up and saw Rooney Chang standing before them. He was dressed up like a Chudley Cannons player and he looked extremely malicious. p
"Actually, I was going to get a drink, so sure you may dance with my date!" Bailee replied smartly, emphasizing the words "my date". p
She released Alec and flounced to the refreshment table. Suddenly Rooney appeared angrily. He grabbed her wrist tightly. p
"You should be my date!" He barked. p
"Let me go!" Bailee shrilled, trying to free herself, her wrist throbbing with pain. p
A few heads turned and stared but Rooney wasn't letting go. Bailee was getting frantic and kneed him as hard as she could just as Alec was coming to her rescue. Rooney let out a cry, falling to the ground in a fetal position. p
"Bailee!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed. p
Bailee looked at her teacher and then ran out of the great hall. Alec stood there with a shocked professor then stared down at Rooney. p
"It was self defense Ma'am." Alec told her before running out of the great hall. p
He saw Bailee walk outside to the courtyard where some other students were. Bailee sat on a bench and huffed. p
"Bailee?" p
Alec sat down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. She laid her head on his shoulder and let the tears slip down her cheeks. p
"It will be okay, Rooney is an asshole and I am sure that Professor McGonagall will have him spend the rest of the term with Filch." Alec softly told her as he stroked her hair. p
"But why did he hurt me?" Bailee inquired. p
She sat back and stared at Alec's cool gray eyes, which seemed to be glowing in the moonlight. p
"Because of me." Alec replied wiping her tear-stained cheeks. p
"Wha…what?" p
"Do you remember last year at the Quidditch Cup finals?" p
Bailee nodded, "you're a good keeper. It's because of you that Slytherin won the Cup." p
"Yes, well I blocked Chang from scoring for Gryffindor. And he would have won the Cup had he made that goal. That's why he hates me, that or the fact that you've gone to every school dance with him." Alec explained. p
"Oh." p
Alec sighed adjusting his robes. Bailee smiled grabbing his robe and wrapped it around her, covering her legs. Then she kissed his cheek. He felt his heart flutter as he bent his head and kissed her lips. It was as if her kisses touched his soul. p
A whole month had passed and all the students could talk about was the Halloween Ball. Classes were going to be cancelled for the day so students could go into Hogsmede and get their costumes. p
"I hope Rhett asks me!" Chutney told Bailee during Herbology. p
Bailee laughed; of course Rhett was going to ask her. p
"Who do you think is going to ask you?" p
"I don't know…" Bailee replied. p
She turned and stared in Alec's direction. The incident on the train played in the back of her mind every once in a while. How she longed to kiss him again. p
Alec looked up from his mandrake and noticed Bailee watching him. He blushed furiously and tried to concentrate on his work. Bailee turned her attention back to the front and Alec let out a deep breath. p
After class the fifth year students and up left for the town of Hogsmede. Hogsmede was similar to Diagon Alley, in Bailee's opinion. She walked down the street with Chutney and Michelle towards Roland's Clothes for Youths. p
"I bet Rooney will ask you to the ball." Michelle told Bailee as they entered the enormous store. p
The second they entered the store, they parted in their own directions. Bailee let out a low squeal when she saw the most beautiful lacy white dress ever. Without hesitation she paid for the dress and went on a hunt for matching faerie wings. p
Alec was standing in front of Zonko's when he saw Bailee walk past him.br
"Hey Bailee!" p
Bailee stopped and smiled when she saw Alec. br
"Hi Alec." She replied brushing back her hair. p
"Do you want to get a butterbeer with me?" Alec inquired pointing towards the Three Broomsticks. p
"Sure." Bailee agreed. p
Alec grinned and opened the Three Broomsticks door for her then they found a seat in the back corner. Alec walked to the bar and ordered their drinks then he sat down across from Bailee. He looked at all the Halloween Decorations. Jack-o-lanterns hung from ceiling, much like they did at Hogwarts. There were even real spider webs on the walls. p
"So are you looking forward to Halloween?" Bailee asked him. p
"Oh defiantly! Halloween is my favourite holiday." Alec told her. p
Bailee took a sip of her butterbeer and stared around the bar. She was receiving odd looks from a few Ravenclaws sitting at a table near by. Bailee didn't like the unwanted attention and stared down at the checkered table. p
Alec noticed something was wrong when she didn't answer his question (what are you going to be for Halloween?). He turned and realized that Ste and Rhett had just entered the Three Broomsticks. p
"Do you want to go to Honeydukes?" Alec asked her. p
"Okay, sure." Bailee responded. p
They paid for their butterbeers and then walked outside towards Honeydukes candy shop. p
"So, who is taking you to the Halloween Ball?" Alec inquired thumbing through the boxes of chocolate frogs. p
"Well, I don't know yet." Bailee replied blankly. She had been asked by Rhett, Rooney and even Todd Creevy, but she didn't want Alec to know that. p
"You mean no one has asked you?" Alec inquired in shock. p
"Well no. Guys have asked me, just no one I am particularly fond of." Bailee replied paying for a bunch of peppermint lolly pops. p
"Oh." p
Bailee smiled and handed a lolly pop to Alec, hoping he had caught her hint. Alec thanked her and then saw Ste and Rhett enter the store. He had a funny feeling that he and Bailee were being followed. p
"Bailee, maybe we could, you know, go to the ball together." Alec suggested watching Ste and Rhett move closer to them. p
"I'd love to!" Bailee squealed. p
Alec smiled at her as Rhett and Ste approached them.br
"What are you so happy about Malfoy?" Ste sneered. p
"Nothing…"p
"Come on Alec, we should head back to Hogswart." Bailee stated glaring at Rhett and Ste. p
They went back to the castle and entered their dormitory. Alec plopped on the sofa while Bailee ran to her room and stored her dress. Beads of sweat rested on Alec's forehead as he thought about Ste and Rhett back at Honeydukes. Ste looked like he was going to pound him just for breathing the same air as Bailee. p
Alec sighed furiously. Why was it so wrong for him to like a Gryffindor? p
"What's wrong?" Bailee inquired entering the common room. She sat down beside him and stared at him. p
"Huh? Oh…nothing. I was thinking." Alec replied absentmindedly. p
"Well that never hurt anybody." Bailee smirked. p
"Yeah…hey, what time is it?" p
"Oh my gosh, it's half past five! We better get ready!" She exclaimed reading the grandfather clock. p
Bailee jumped up and ran into her room, remembering that she didn't have any faerie wings, she had to make do with what she had. Quickly, Bailee did her make-up. Silver eye shadow and light pink lipstick. Then she magically put her hair up into funky twists. Last, but certainly not least, she slipped into the dress. The dress had skinny straps and a low neck line. It cut off just before her knees and was fringed at the bottom with pink lace. Bailee stood up in front of her mirror gazing at her reflection when she heard a knock coming from the Gryffindor common room. p
Slowly she opened the door to find Rooney standing there. p
"Wow…" He trailed off. p
"Can I help you Rooney?" Bailee inquired impatiently. p
"Please…be my date tonight." He said brushing back his silver blond hair. p
"I'm sorry, I already have a date. Why don't you ask Michelle Patil?" p
"But we always go together and she is going with Ste- wait a second. Who's your date?" p
"What is it any concern to you?" Bailee wanted to know. p
"It's not. You're going with Malfoy, aren't you?" Rooney stated crossing his arms. p
"So what if I am? I don't see how that's any business of yours." Bailee said exasperated. p
"How could you? That's sick!" p
Bailee rolled her eyes and slammed the door in her face. Then she heard a knock again as she was putting on her white slippers. She groaned. p
"Rooney! Leave me alone!" She roared. p
The door opened and Alec stood in the doorway from their common room staring at her questionably. p
"Oh. I thought you were…" p
"Rooney Chang?" Alec supplied. p
"Yeah." Bailee replied walking towards him. p
"Sorry to disappoint you." Alec smiled linking her arm with his. p
"Believe me, I am far from disappointed." p
They walked into their common room and paused. Alec was dressed like a player from the Ballycastle Bats Quidditch team. He wore long black robes with a scarlet bat on his chest. p
"My brother Trent would kill you for that." Bailee joked. p
"Ohh…sorry, orange isn't my colour…" Alec teased as they left their dorm. p
"Orange isn't Trent's colour either." p
If Trent knew Bailee had just insulted his team, he'd be very displeased. But the Chudley Cannons hadn't won the League since 1892 and everyone knew it. p
"You look so beautiful." Alec said snapping her out of her thoughts. p
Bailee blushed as they approached the Great Hall. They was a sudden rush of silence as they entered the great hall. Even some of the professors stopped and stared at them. p
"Let's dance." Alec told Bailee. p
He grabbed her hand and Bailee stared at the ceiling made up of floating jack-o-lanterns so she wouldn't see the disturbing looks from her peers. p
The shocked crowd died down as the music began to play. Alec lead Bailee to the center of the wooden dance floor. Carefully he put his arms around her waist as she put her arms around his neck. They began to move slowly to the music. p
Right then, Chutney entered the Great Hall with Rhett, and Ste with Michelle. p
"Oh my gosh!" Chutney exclaimed when she saw Bailee and Alec on the dance floor. p
"So, Rooney was right!" Ste replied. p
"What do we do about it?" Rhett inquired. p
"Nothing." Michelle spoke in Bailee's defense as the four found a table to sit down. p
"And even worse, he is dressed like the Ballycastle Bats!" Chutney added. p
Michelle rolled her dark brown eyes. Half the boys were dressed like Quidditch players, and most of them like the Ballycastle Bats. p
"Isn't this great?" Alec inquired as the next song began to play. p
"Yeah! I'm having a really good time." Bailee replied flashing her grin. p
"Excuse me, but may I cut in?" p
Bailee looked up and saw Rooney Chang standing before them. He was dressed up like a Chudley Cannons player and he looked extremely malicious. p
"Actually, I was going to get a drink, so sure you may dance with my date!" Bailee replied smartly, emphasizing the words "my date". p
She released Alec and flounced to the refreshment table. Suddenly Rooney appeared angrily. He grabbed her wrist tightly. p
"You should be my date!" He barked. p
"Let me go!" Bailee shrilled, trying to free herself, her wrist throbbing with pain. p
A few heads turned and stared but Rooney wasn't letting go. Bailee was getting frantic and kneed him as hard as she could just as Alec was coming to her rescue. Rooney let out a cry, falling to the ground in a fetal position. p
"Bailee!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed. p
Bailee looked at her teacher and then ran out of the great hall. Alec stood there with a shocked professor then stared down at Rooney. p
"It was self defense Ma'am." Alec told her before running out of the great hall. p
He saw Bailee walk outside to the courtyard where some other students were. Bailee sat on a bench and huffed. p
"Bailee?" p
Alec sat down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. She laid her head on his shoulder and let the tears slip down her cheeks. p
"It will be okay, Rooney is an asshole and I am sure that Professor McGonagall will have him spend the rest of the term with Filch." Alec softly told her as he stroked her hair. p
"But why did he hurt me?" Bailee inquired. p
She sat back and stared at Alec's cool gray eyes, which seemed to be glowing in the moonlight. p
"Because of me." Alec replied wiping her tear-stained cheeks. p
"Wha…what?" p
"Do you remember last year at the Quidditch Cup finals?" p
Bailee nodded, "you're a good keeper. It's because of you that Slytherin won the Cup." p
"Yes, well I blocked Chang from scoring for Gryffindor. And he would have won the Cup had he made that goal. That's why he hates me, that or the fact that you've gone to every school dance with him." Alec explained. p
"Oh." p
Alec sighed adjusting his robes. Bailee smiled grabbing his robe and wrapped it around her, covering her legs. Then she kissed his cheek. He felt his heart flutter as he bent his head and kissed her lips. It was as if her kisses touched his soul. p