At exactly 3: 55 that afternoon Harry and Ron ushered Alex to the lake.

"Come on, Alex, hurry up! You don't want to be late."

"Yeah, I mean, you don't want to make a bad impression do you?"

"Okay, okay, I'm going!"

Finally Alex went down to the lake. He saw Melanie sitting under the tree, reading a book. He hurried toward her.

"Hello."

Melanie looked up and closed her book.

"Hi."

"So..."

"Yeah, well, I just wanted to get to know you." Said Melanie, a little embarrassed.

"Oh. Yes, well, I would like to know you, too." Said Alex, sitting down next to her.

"Well, I'll start. I'm Melanie Trendan from Ravenclaw."

"Ok. Well, I'm Alex Lafievre from Gryffindor."

"Yeah, I sort of already knew that." Said Melanie, blushing.

"Right."

They sat in silence for a while.

"Why did you ask me to the ball?" Alex asked suddenly.

Melanie looked faintly surprised at the question. "Well,...erm...I noticed you a few weeks ago, and I've been trying to talk to you, but I haven't had a chance yet. The prank you played on the Slytherins was so hilarious! I was laughing so hard I was crying. And, well, you seemed like a nice person...you are a nice person." She said, looking at him.

Alex blushed. "So are you." He muttered.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." Alex decided that he really liked her. She was pretty, funny, and nice.

"I'm glad you asked me to the ball." He said without thinking.

Melanie blushed bright red. "Really? So am I..." she leaned closer. Alex saw the warmth in her eyes and the smile on her lips before...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Where's Alex?" asked Ginny, looking up from her History of Magic homework.

"He's..um..busy." said Ron, looking at the lake from the window.

Harry jumped out of his seat and ran to the window.

"Busy?" asked Hermione.

"Yes," said Harry, his eyes widening, "very busy."

Ginny and Hermione ran to the window.

"Is that that girl that asked him to the ball this morning?" Hermione asked.

"No, it's Malfoy dressed as her." replied Ron, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, Hermy, I thought you were the smart one."

Ginny and Harry looked at each other and grinned.

"Ronnie, how many times do I have to tell you NOT to call me Hermy!" shouted Hermione, pulling out her wand.

Ron looked scared.

"I'm sorry, 'Mione." He stammered. "I was just joking."

Hermione stopped in mid-wand-movement. "Ok, then, but don't ever call me that again, Ronniekins." She said, smiling. Apparently she liked the new nickname " 'Mione".

Ron sighed at the name "Ronniekins" and turned back to the window.

"Aaaw...they're gone."

"Maybe they went to find a broom closet." Said Ginny, winking.

"Probably." Said Harry, grinning.

At that moment Alex came in, a dazed look on his face.

"What is it, Allie old chap?" asked Ron, grinning hugely.

Alex jerked back to Earth. "Allie?" he asked confusedly. "Who's that?"

"You, Ron made a new nickname for you. Don't you like it?" asked Hermione, smiling. "He had one for me, too. Hermy. But now he's changed his mind. Right, Ronniekins?"she added innocently, twirling her wand.

"Yeees." Said Ron, eyeing the wand apprehensively.

"Ronniekins, I do not want to be called Allie." Said Alex when he understood.

"Don't call me Ronniekins, and I won't call you Allie." Ron argued.

"Oh, shut it, you three." Yawned Harry.

"Already tired, Harriette?" Ron asked, turning to him.

"I said shut it." He said, sitting back down.

"Whatever you say, Harriette." Said Alex, sitting next to him.

"What are you doing?"

"The Potions essay. I swear I'm going to hex Snape one day. Maybe the day after we graduate." Replied Harry, starting to write.

"Yes, we better get writing on that essay." Said Hermione sitting across from him and pulling out her books. "It's due next week."

"Well, we still have time then, don't we 'Mione?" said Ron, pulling out his chessboard while Harry, Alex, and Hermione started on their essays.

"Anybody for a game of chess?" he asked looking at Ginny.

"Okay." She said. "But I'm going to lose anyway." She sat down.

Two hours later Harry, Alex, and Hermione had finished their essays and were watching Ron and Ginny's second chess game. Ron had already won the first one.

"Move your Bishop over there." Harry whispered in Ginny's ear.

"Don't give me any advice." She whispered back. "I'm losing anyway." She moved her Queen.

"Check mate!" yelled Ron.

"Oh, well." Sighed Ginny as Ron put away the chessboard and pieces.

"I was bound to lose. Ron is the chess-person in the family."

Just then Harry's stomach growled.

"We better go eat dinner." Said Hermione. "Someone is hungry."

"He's not the only one!" said Alex, climbing out of the portrait hole.

They all made their way down to the Great Hall. When Alex entered, Melanie came running up to him.

"There you are! I was already wondering where you were." She said, kissing him on the cheek.

"Hi Melanie." Answered Alex. "Let me introduce me to my friends."

"This is Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter."

Melanie looked at his scar on his forehead. "Harry Potter. Cool." She said. "Nice to meet all of you." She added.

They nodded and sat down at the Gryffindor table while Melanie went to sit at the Ravenclaw table with her friends.

"She's nice." Said Ron, loading food onto his plate.

"Yeah, Nice move, Alex." Added Harry.

"We saw you kissing by the lake a while ago." Said Ginny looking at him.

Alex blushed a deep red. "Well, erm, yes," he murmured.

They laughed and began to eat.

Melanie and Alex kept looking at each other during dinner. When they had all eaten as much as they could they stood up and went out of the Great Hall.

"Erm, sorry, but I told Melanie I'd wait for her here." Said Alex, blushing faintly.

"No problemo, Alex, my mate." Said Ron, winking, while Harry gave Alex a thumbs-up sign.

So Alex stayed there and the other went up to the common room. Harry and Ginny just sat in the couch next to each other and talked. Hermione insisted that Ron should practice his Coloring Charm with her so they started coloring all the things in the common room. Ron sometimes missed and hit something or someone else. Parvati, for example.

"RON!" she yelled. "Turn my hair back dark brown!" After Hermione had rid her of her bright green hair, she sat down next to Lavender.

"Professor Trelawney did say to me in my first year of Divination to watch out for a red-haired man." She sniffed.

Ron sniggered uncontrollably until Hermione finally told him to shut up or she would hex him. It was past 9 when Alex finally showed up. Harry and Ginny were still on the couch but now they had fallen asleep with Ginny's head on Harry's chest and Harry's arms around her shoulders. Hermione and Ron were still looking up the definition of Coloring Charms. They woke up Harry and Ginny and suggested they go to bed. They immediately stumbled to their dormitories and fell asleep.

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