Chapter Twelve: T'was Days Before Christmas
"I thought I'd go through this kind of torture only once in my life," groaned and moaned Ron later on that evening in the dormitory. "Sadly, I was mistaken."
"Eh, finding a girl to ask isn't that difficult," said Seamus, matter- of-fact.
"If by not difficult you mean like going up against a Hungarian Horntail," Harry replied, throwing himself down in a huff on his bed.
"Why are you complaining? It's not like you can't get any girl in Hogwarts!" Ron looked at him from his bed.
"Even if that was true, Ron, which I highly doubt, I'd still have to ask her. And that, my red-headed friend, is where difficulty raises his ugly head."
"You're thinking of asking Jazz, aren't you Harry?" questioned Dean from across the room.
"Damn straight," Harry gave a devilish grin, which was quickly replaced by a slight frown, "but I don't think I can summon up enough courage, though."
"Come off it, enough courage?" Neville squeaked, disbelieving. "You're the bravest person that I know. That any of us know." The rest of the room shook their heads in agreement. "So don't tell us you don't have enough courage to ask Jazz out. It's not like she doesn't like you."
"That's true.hey wait! How do you know she likes me?" Harry said, suddenly intrigued.
"It's as plain as the nose on your face," stated Seamus.
"I could spot it in the dark," agreed Neville.
"It's almost as obvious as Ron's crush for Hermione," said Dean with a smirk. Ron turned a deep crimson, "I.don't.like.her.that.way." he breathed.
"Oh yes you do and you know it," laughed Harry. "In fact, I think the only people that don't know that you and Hermione like each other are you and Hermione."
"Bloody hell!" Ron threw up his hands. "Can't keep a secret here if I tried!" The rest of the fifth year boys laughed. "But you know, I don't think I can ask her to the dance. She'd probably slap me if I did."
"Never know until you try. But mind you, that's always not a good thing. I asked Jazz out previously and she turned me down," Harry informed him. "That's why I'm having doubts on asking her."
"Oh, you're a big help," Ron said, flinging himself back on his pillows. "I guess we just have to suck it up, throw caution to the wind, and act like men."
"Sounds like we're going into combat," chortled Neville.
"Precisely, Longbottom. We must maneuver strategically, act at the right moment, or we'll fail. And believe me, victory is a must in this type of situation."
"Yes sir!" the four boys mock-saluted before falling back on their beds, laughing. Before drifting off to sleep, Harry mumbled one last thought.
"I wonder how girls react to this stuff?
*****
"Ooo, Hermione I don't know what to do! If he doesn't ask me, I'll just.I'll just.I don't know what I'll do!" Jazz confessed, wringing her hands as her best friend sat across from her on her bed.
"Don't worry about it, you silly goose! He already asked you out once. I'm sure that he'll ask you to the ball." Hermione said in a comforting tone, sincerely meaning everything she said.
"But what if he doesn't because I turned him down when he did ask me out?" Jazz moaned, suddenly worried again.
"Then he's a stupid prat," Hermione said sharply, causing Jazz to look up at her. "Well, he would be, figuring he likes you a lot and all. It's stupid not to ask someone if you like them because you're worried that they'll don't feel the same way when you know they do!" She took a breath, then smiled sort of sheepishly, "Got all that?"
"Think so," laughed Jazz. "But why don't you follow your own preaching and go ask Ron."
"What?!" gasped Hermoine. "You think that I like.that he likes.oh dear Lord."
"Hit the nail on the head, didn't I?"
"No truer words were ever said," Hermione smiled weakly as she sunk back into her mattress.
"Aha, so you do like him!" Jazz said in triumph.
"Ever since first year when he sacrificed himself for Harry during the chess game," smiled Hermione, thinking of the first moment when she had felt something for Ron. She continued, "But I'm no good with crushes and flirting and whatnot, so I don't think I'll ever tell him." She looked up at Jazz, eyes wide, "Don't tell anyone that I like him, you understand. You're the only one that knows."
"Yeah, me and all the rest of the Gryffindors."
Hermoine gasped, but Jazz shushed her, "The only person that doesn't know is Ron, so don't worry. In fact, most of us think he likes you too."
"Really?" she said with a mixture of hope and doubt.
"Yes, really. And now with that thought, I'm going to bed. Nighty night."
"Good morrow, Jazz," Hermione looked at her already dozing figure. Then she pulled her curtains closed and went to sleep herself.
*****
The month of December couldn't have seemed any shorter after the New Year's Eve Ball was announced. The boys figured it was because they were putting off asking for partners and time was being evil by making sure the Ball got there as quickly as possible. In a blink of an eye, winter terms were over and most of the first through third years were packing up for the trip home to celebrate Christmas with their families. Everyone over third year, however, was on the list to stay for the holiday. No one wanted to miss the Ball.
By the time Christmas Eve was approaching, Ron and Harry were getting frantic. They had made a pact to ask Hermione and Jazz to the Ball by Christmas, and by lack of nerve and procrastination, it looked like they weren't going to make that mark.
God help me, Harry thought as he stared at both of the girls as they sat in the Common Room, playing a game of Exploding Snap. I just can't do it.
"There must be a way without having to say anything," Ron murmured to Harry.
"Yeah, that would be so much easier." Harry thought for a second. "Wait! There is!"
"What? Tell me!" Ron spun around as Harry began to whisper his plan to him. He broke out into a grin of understanding as he finished. He and Harry exchanged high fives before going to work on that would help them get dates to the Ball. They had to hurry, for Christmas was only two days away.
"I thought I'd go through this kind of torture only once in my life," groaned and moaned Ron later on that evening in the dormitory. "Sadly, I was mistaken."
"Eh, finding a girl to ask isn't that difficult," said Seamus, matter- of-fact.
"If by not difficult you mean like going up against a Hungarian Horntail," Harry replied, throwing himself down in a huff on his bed.
"Why are you complaining? It's not like you can't get any girl in Hogwarts!" Ron looked at him from his bed.
"Even if that was true, Ron, which I highly doubt, I'd still have to ask her. And that, my red-headed friend, is where difficulty raises his ugly head."
"You're thinking of asking Jazz, aren't you Harry?" questioned Dean from across the room.
"Damn straight," Harry gave a devilish grin, which was quickly replaced by a slight frown, "but I don't think I can summon up enough courage, though."
"Come off it, enough courage?" Neville squeaked, disbelieving. "You're the bravest person that I know. That any of us know." The rest of the room shook their heads in agreement. "So don't tell us you don't have enough courage to ask Jazz out. It's not like she doesn't like you."
"That's true.hey wait! How do you know she likes me?" Harry said, suddenly intrigued.
"It's as plain as the nose on your face," stated Seamus.
"I could spot it in the dark," agreed Neville.
"It's almost as obvious as Ron's crush for Hermione," said Dean with a smirk. Ron turned a deep crimson, "I.don't.like.her.that.way." he breathed.
"Oh yes you do and you know it," laughed Harry. "In fact, I think the only people that don't know that you and Hermione like each other are you and Hermione."
"Bloody hell!" Ron threw up his hands. "Can't keep a secret here if I tried!" The rest of the fifth year boys laughed. "But you know, I don't think I can ask her to the dance. She'd probably slap me if I did."
"Never know until you try. But mind you, that's always not a good thing. I asked Jazz out previously and she turned me down," Harry informed him. "That's why I'm having doubts on asking her."
"Oh, you're a big help," Ron said, flinging himself back on his pillows. "I guess we just have to suck it up, throw caution to the wind, and act like men."
"Sounds like we're going into combat," chortled Neville.
"Precisely, Longbottom. We must maneuver strategically, act at the right moment, or we'll fail. And believe me, victory is a must in this type of situation."
"Yes sir!" the four boys mock-saluted before falling back on their beds, laughing. Before drifting off to sleep, Harry mumbled one last thought.
"I wonder how girls react to this stuff?
*****
"Ooo, Hermione I don't know what to do! If he doesn't ask me, I'll just.I'll just.I don't know what I'll do!" Jazz confessed, wringing her hands as her best friend sat across from her on her bed.
"Don't worry about it, you silly goose! He already asked you out once. I'm sure that he'll ask you to the ball." Hermione said in a comforting tone, sincerely meaning everything she said.
"But what if he doesn't because I turned him down when he did ask me out?" Jazz moaned, suddenly worried again.
"Then he's a stupid prat," Hermione said sharply, causing Jazz to look up at her. "Well, he would be, figuring he likes you a lot and all. It's stupid not to ask someone if you like them because you're worried that they'll don't feel the same way when you know they do!" She took a breath, then smiled sort of sheepishly, "Got all that?"
"Think so," laughed Jazz. "But why don't you follow your own preaching and go ask Ron."
"What?!" gasped Hermoine. "You think that I like.that he likes.oh dear Lord."
"Hit the nail on the head, didn't I?"
"No truer words were ever said," Hermione smiled weakly as she sunk back into her mattress.
"Aha, so you do like him!" Jazz said in triumph.
"Ever since first year when he sacrificed himself for Harry during the chess game," smiled Hermione, thinking of the first moment when she had felt something for Ron. She continued, "But I'm no good with crushes and flirting and whatnot, so I don't think I'll ever tell him." She looked up at Jazz, eyes wide, "Don't tell anyone that I like him, you understand. You're the only one that knows."
"Yeah, me and all the rest of the Gryffindors."
Hermoine gasped, but Jazz shushed her, "The only person that doesn't know is Ron, so don't worry. In fact, most of us think he likes you too."
"Really?" she said with a mixture of hope and doubt.
"Yes, really. And now with that thought, I'm going to bed. Nighty night."
"Good morrow, Jazz," Hermione looked at her already dozing figure. Then she pulled her curtains closed and went to sleep herself.
*****
The month of December couldn't have seemed any shorter after the New Year's Eve Ball was announced. The boys figured it was because they were putting off asking for partners and time was being evil by making sure the Ball got there as quickly as possible. In a blink of an eye, winter terms were over and most of the first through third years were packing up for the trip home to celebrate Christmas with their families. Everyone over third year, however, was on the list to stay for the holiday. No one wanted to miss the Ball.
By the time Christmas Eve was approaching, Ron and Harry were getting frantic. They had made a pact to ask Hermione and Jazz to the Ball by Christmas, and by lack of nerve and procrastination, it looked like they weren't going to make that mark.
God help me, Harry thought as he stared at both of the girls as they sat in the Common Room, playing a game of Exploding Snap. I just can't do it.
"There must be a way without having to say anything," Ron murmured to Harry.
"Yeah, that would be so much easier." Harry thought for a second. "Wait! There is!"
"What? Tell me!" Ron spun around as Harry began to whisper his plan to him. He broke out into a grin of understanding as he finished. He and Harry exchanged high fives before going to work on that would help them get dates to the Ball. They had to hurry, for Christmas was only two days away.