Disclaimer: The characters be J.K Rowling's!
A/N: You know, I'm really starting to favor this Seamus idea…I'm a fan of Greek tragedy, it'll be like a modern version…instead of the hero dying at the end, she ends up married to a homosexual! Okay, just joking, she'll end up with one of them, but I don't know which one yet.
A week later, we were sitting in the common room. Ron and I were playing chess and Harry was working on a Potions essay that Snape had given him while in a particularly vindictive mood.
"Check" Ron said. I glanced at the board and I was indeed in check. I had been distracted by how lovely Harry looked, his hair mussed, writing furiously, his feet fidgety under the table…I fixed the position of my king so I was no longer in check.
Ron was pondering the board when a brown owl flew in the open window, landing on Harry's table with a hoot. Harry looked up with a light in his eyes, either delighted for a distraction or hoping it was a letter from his godfather. He took the parchment from the bird and gave it an absent-minded pat while reading. When he finished, he looked up with a smile.
"Looks like I've got a date for the Ball" he said.
I was puzzled.
"Who?"
He nodded at the parchment, now lying on the table.
"Fleur Delacour. She's coming over for the Ball, wanted to know if I'd go with her, if…" he drifted off, going red.
"If what?" Ron asked. Harry shook his head.
"It was nothing. I better write back to her", he said and pulled out a fresh piece of parchment.
"Don't forget your essay", I muttered as I looked back to the chess game. He looked up at me.
"How could I, with you around to remind me?"
O-kay…..
Ron won the match, inevitably. I couldn't get that playful, yet slightly malicious look in Harry's eyes when he asked, "how could I?" out of my head. After Ron had left the common room, I sat next to Harry at his table.
"So what was the "nothing" in Fleur's letter?" I asked, attempting to sound casual. He looked at me.
"Distracting me from my essay, Hermy?" he said mischievously. Note to self: don't sit so close to boys with amazing eyes.
"Uh, um, nooo…" Since when did I have a speech disorder?
"To answer your incredibly subtle question, it said, "if you are not going with your pretty friend…Helen?" I'll make sure she knows your name by Ball time" he added with a wink.
"Oh" I said simply. Even Fleur Delacour thought we'd be dating!
"See you tomorrow" I said and climbed the stairs, leaving him to his essay.
Pressure began to build up from every direction, and I found I didn't even need to worry about telling Harry, because we were both so busy. No only was everyone above 4th Year swept up in Ball preparations, but our teachers began piling on the work, reminding us every five minutes "You've got your O.W.Ls in eight months Fifth Year". Plus, Harry was filling every spare moment with Quidditch practise. Ron and I barely had the extra time to pick up our clothes from Madame Pularche's, and I had to resist trying on my dress every time I saw it in the cupboard.
Ball gossip was rife. Ginny, although she could go with whomever she liked now she was in 4th Year, was once again going with Neville (who was teased by the Weasely brothers for his taste in "younger women"), even though she had got her feet trodden all over the past year. Dean and Seamus were not going together (preferring to stay right in that closet), and were going with Lavender and Parvati, who were happy to have dates that dressed snappily and could dance. Oliver Wood's fame worked to his advantage, because he was allowed to come as Katie's date even though he was no longer a student. Dumbledore referred to his as a "special guest". Fred and George were going with Angelina and Alicia respectively. It was a wonder if the girls even knew any boys outside the Quidditch team…Harry had told Cho about his date, and apparently she was pleased.
One morning in the Great Hall, an owl dropped a thick brown envelope next to my plate. I found this quite unusual, as my parents were rather awkward with the Owl Post, using it only for special occasions and emergencies. My curiosity provoked, I tore open the brown paper, and was greeted by an issue of Witch Weekly, with Harry's smiling face on the cover. I was pondering the possibility of Harry making an agreement with the press not to hassle him until he finished school, Prince William style, when Ron clicked his fingers in my face. I scowled at him.
"What's in the package?" he asked.
"I haven't looked at it properly. Give us a minute, Mr Nosey," I snapped. He put his hands up in a defensive gesture.
"Okay, okay".
I read the headline. "Boy Wizard Dating French Veela Vixen". Half-Veela. I rolled my eyes and grunted in disgust. Flipping to the article, I scanned it quickly…"stolen his heart"…"incredible good looks"…"Halloween Ball"…blah blah blah…wait! "Mr Potter has turned into quite the ladies man. After his much-publicised liaison with Hermione Granger last year, his affections have turned to older women, including not only Ms Delacour, but Cho Chang, a pretty 6th Year at Hogwarts, who says: "Harry and I spend a lot of time together, he's a special friend of mine, and quite cute too!" Perhaps a "special friend" like Granger was once to Potter? That ball should be an explosive one, make sure you keep an eye on Witch Weekly for full coverage!" Oh my god, the wench! I stormed over to the Ravenclaw table and slammed the article down in front of Cho.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?"
A/N Please review! New chapter up soon! I love holidays!