Anthony jittered in his seat, terrified of the thought of dancing with Taylor. She sat beside him, talking animatedly with Bridget, who looked dazzling in her purple robes.

Not that Taylor was anything less than dazzling. Her robes were a shade of light pink, a color that was never worn by the blonde. She had absolutely taken Anthony's every breath away. Her hair was pulled up into a tight bun, but a few strands fell onto her face. She had on little to no makeup, but her natural beauty still surpassed those of the other girls. He had stared at her in shock, and was frozen in his place until she tugged on his arm and dragged him out of the common room.

The room was completely enchanting, with floating candles and tables covered with lace and fine china. Everyone in the room looked extremely happy, except for Professor McGonnagal, who kept pulling people who were 'too close' apart.

The band that was playing, a group of four wizards by the name of Tanrantallegra, began to play a slow tune, causing many of the students to leave their seats and head out to the dance floor. Anthony's face paled.

"Are you going to ask me to dance?" Taylor said, hugging him from behind. Anthony's glasses began to slide down his nose. He turned his head slightly and smiled weakly at her.

"Want…do you…do you want to dance?" He choked out, hoping his voice didn't sound too strained. Taylor nodded happily and grabbed his hand, pulling him quickly onto the dance floor. Anthony knew he loved the girl, but sometimes, she was a bit too much for him shy teen.

They found some room, and Taylor wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling Anthony close. The blush he felt creeping up his neck was not going to be able to be stopped, so he slowly placed his hands around her waist. They swayed, Taylor's head on his shoulder. He couldn't help but smile at their situation.

Anthony began to look around at all the other couples dancing. James was blushing furiously as Lilly tossed her hair over her shoulders, laughing at something he must've said. Rebecca and Daniel were rather close, and Anthony prayed that James didn't catch sight of this. The couple that really surprised him was his cousin Brian; he was dancing with Cassie Black, but she seemed occupied with watching something else.

"Look who decided to show up." Taylor whispered, looking up at Anthony slightly. He turned his head to follow her gaze, and smiled when he saw Jacob walk in with a rather pretty girl in blue.

"Is that Soledad?" Anthony said. Taylor nodded, closing her eyes as they continued to sway.

"Mmhmm…" She murmured. The red head pulled her close, loving the feeling of her in his arms. He watched as Jacob and Soledad made their way onto the dance floor, both smiling and laughing softly.

Alexis and Ryan danced only a few feet away from them, and Anthony noticed that the raven-haired girl could not keep her eyes off of his brother.

"You play Quidditch at home?" Jacob asked Soledad, completely enthralled by the girl. He had one hand around her waist and her hand was on his shoulder. They held each other's left hand as they danced around the large room.

The two had not stopped talking since they had left the common room. They realized that they had a lot in common, and Jacob was beginning to wonder why he had never spoken a single word to her.

"Sí, normally Chaser. My papa says I'm pretty good." She said, smiling brightly. Jacob spun her around and they posed for a fifth year Hufflepuff who was taking pictures. Then, Jacob spun her back into his arms, and the two both blushed furiously.

"Maybe you should try out next year?" He said, his voice cracking. "Two of our chasers are graduating."

"That would be wonderful!" She giggled, squeezing his hand. They continued to dance, spinning slowly in circles.

"You have una admiradora." Soledad whispered in his ear. Jacob stared at her oddly, and Soledad nodded her chin towards something behind him. He spun her around again, so it wouldn't be the obvious he looking at what she was talking about. As soon as Jacob's eyes connected with Alexis', she made Ryan spin her away.

"She's so weird." Jacob moaned, pulling Soledad back into dancing distance.

"Would you rather be dancing with her?" The curly haired girl asked as the song turned into a faster moving one. The two began to head towards a table and Jacob shook his head, giving her a sideways hug.

"No! I'm having too much fun with you!" He exclaimed, looking down at her with pure enthusiasm. He couldn't ignore the blush that crept on her face.

"You're not going to ignore me on Monday, sí? Just promise me that." She stopped and looked up at him, her eyes pleading. Jacob just smiled.

"Prometo." He said, using one of the few Spanish words he knew. He bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Her face flushed even deeper. "Now, let's get something to eat." Soledad smiled and the two found a pair of empty seats.

Anthony and Taylor decided to join Jacob and Soledad, and the four were having a very nice conversation about Hogsmeade when a voice from behind them spoke up,

"Jacob? Can I have a word with you?" Alexis Diggory said sweetly, her hands behind her back. Jacob looked around the room, as if he had heard something strange.

"Can any of you hear that? There's this strange ringing in my ears…" He shrugged it off and began to pick at his dinner.

Alexis sighed, rubbing her right arm with her left. She sent Anthony a pleading look, but he too avoided her gaze.

"What do you want Alexis?" Taylor said, clearly annoyed. Alexis shot Taylor an angry look, but she sighed nonetheless.

"I have to talk to Jacob." She said simply. Soledad, who had also been ignoring Alexis, turned to her.

"Maybe he doesn't want to talk to you." She spat a little angrily, mumbling some Spanish curses under her breath. Alexis pursed her lips at the curly haired girl.

"So you've finally decided to speak to humans? It's only taken you four years." She shot back. Soledad's face burned red and Jacob stood up and spun around to glare at Alexis.

"Don't talk to her like that!" He exclaimed, gritting his teeth. Anthony stood up as well, holding Jacob's arm as Ryan joined Alexis' side.

"What's going on here?" The Quidditch captain asked, eyeing Jacob carefully. Alexis looked up at him and touched Ryan's face softly. No matter how much he tried not to, Jacob blushed angrily at the gesture.

"Nothing Ryan, Jacob and I were just going to have a talk, right Jake?" She looked at him and smiled sweetly. His fists were clenched tightly by his side, but he slowly nodded.

"Yes. Of course. Talk. We're…we're going to…talk." Jacob forced a smile at his captain. Ryan still stared oddly at his teammate, but he nodded. Jacob stormed past Alexis, bursting open the doors to the garden.

He sat upon the edge of the water fountain, swirling his finger in the icy liquid. The full moon's reflection rippled in the water and Jacob tapped his foot furiously as he heard the footsteps of another walk up slowly behind him.

"I'm glad we can talk." Alexis said, sitting down next to him. Jacob sighed and turned to her.

"What do you want?" He asked harshly. She looked at her fingers, taking in a deep breath.

"You deserve an explanation."

"Damn right I do!" Jacob shouted, standing up. He began to pace in front of her, not daring to look at her. "How could you do that to me? All I've been is a gentleman to you! Never have I once said a bad thing about you! I've always stood up for you!"

"It's on account of my mother." She said softly. Jacob stopped abruptly and sneered at her.

"Don't give me any bullshit about a bad home life! You're a smart girl! You've never had any problems!" Alexis stood up at this comment, one finger pointed out, and she stormed towards him.

"You have no idea what my home life is like! Don't you dare say anything about it!" She screamed, her voice shrilly. The two stared at each other for what seemed like eternity to them. Their breathes were short and ragged, until Alexis turned away.

"So tell me." Jacob said slowly, crossing his arms. "Give me the reason, and I might not hate you as much."

She faced him again, a pained look on her face.

"Like I said, it's on account of my mother. She…she taught me to never trust anyone easily. When we kissed last night, it was wonderful. But…I don't want to give my heart away just yet. I got scared, and I thought that if I hurt you, I wouldn't have to worry about giving my heart away to you." Alexis looked up at him, tears brimming at her eyes. "I'm sorry that I hurt you. Truly, I am."

Jacob stared at her, not revealing what he was thinking. He didn't completely believe her.

"Why did your mother tell you that?" He asked quietly. Alexis closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.

"I don't have a normal family. Not like yours. I live alone with my mother. I never knew my father. She never knew my father." She started back towards the fountain, and Jacob realized that her legs weren't able to support her anymore. Alexis fell onto the edge of the fountain, and Jacob slowly approached her, still wary.

"What happened?" He asked.

"It's a Muggle thing. I don't want to go into details, but she was able to have me without having a husband. She didn't want a husband. Not…not after she lost him." Alexis began to push her hair back over and over and over, and Jacob spoke up again,

"Lost who?"

"Her first love. He died right before graduating from Hogwarts. He was a Hufflepuff, a great man." She whispered. Jacob's eyes widened slightly; he had a feeling of where this was leading.

"Cedric Diggory…" He said carefully, not wanting Alexis to erupt. She nodded slowly,

"My mother's real name is Cho Chang, and she never got over him. After Hogwarts, she ran away and took his last name. She couldn't bear the thought of being without him."

Alexis looked up at the red head, to see that he was shaking his head softly. She became confused, and stood up to approach him. Her hand reached for his face, but he moved away.

"No." He said, finally looking at her in the eyes. Alexis froze immediately. "I don't want you to try and live in some fairytale."

"But…I really do like you, I was just scared." She wanted to beg him to take her back. Jacob shook his head.

"If we were together, and then things didn't work out…you would end up like your mother. You can love more than one person in your life." He said, smiling softly. "Ryan's waiting."

Alexis smiled tenderly, taking a step towards him and kissing him on the cheek.

"Thank you." She said simply. Jacob sighed softly as he watched her walk back into the castle. It hurt to give her up, but, deep down, he knew that he was doing the right thing, for the both of them.


It wasn't long before Anthony, Taylor, and Soledad peered out of the door Alexis had gone through.

"You still alive?" Anthony called, coming out and putting his hands up in confusion. Jacob laughed and jogged over to his brother.

"Yeah, I'm still here." He smiled brightly at all of them, and stopped at Soledad, who was watching him anxiously. Jacob bowed slightly in front of her, and put out his hand. "Care for another dance?"

The girl in blue blushed furiously and nodded as she took his hand. Jacob nodded his head towards his brother and Taylor, and the two headed back out to the dance floor.

Near eleven, there were still quite a few couples dancing slowly on the floor. Many had retired, and the teachers were trying their best to send the rest to bed, but the hall had been rented until midnight.

The night had been full of very memorable things, all of which were captured on camera by the hired photographer (the same Hufflepuff that had snapped Jacob and Soledad's picture).

Professor Potter had swept his daughter away from James (who the Professor stared daggers into) and shared a few dances with her. Lilly started off being absolutely humiliated, but by the third dance, she was smiling and twirling in good spirits.

Door prizes had been given out, and the lucky winner of five free Butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks had been Brian Weasley himself. He gave them to Cassie, knowing that she absolutely loved the Butterbeers. The third year was elated, and could not stop talking about them the entire night.

Anthony, though he tried, had grown tired of dancing very quickly and struggled to keep up with his very effervescent date. Luckily for him, Malcolm cut in for a couple of dances with his little sister, letting the worn out red head take a break.

"There are places I remember. All my life, though some have changed." The lead singer of Tanrantallegra sang, a smile spreading on his face. He pushed his blonde hair out of his face and Jacob heard some of the girls sigh and giggle. "Come on all you Muggle born students out there! I know you guys have heard this one before!"

Jacob turned to his dance partner as they began to sway back and forth.

"Some forever not for better, some have gone and some remain..." He sang softly. Soledad sent him an odd smile, causing him to blush. "My mum's Muggle-born, she's a huge fan." He explained, putting his right hand around her waist.

"All these places had their moments…with lovers and friends, I still can recall…"

"It's not that…" She whispered, taking his left in her right.

"Then what is it?" He asked, clearly interested. The two swayed softly to the calming tune.

"Some are dead and some are living…in my life I've loved them all."

Soledad bit her lip and darted her eyes away.

"It's just…I didn't know you could sing, I've never had anyone sing to me before." She looked up at him, her hazel eyes wide with excitement. Jacob smiled brightly and pulled her closer, leaning towards her ear.

"But of all these friends and lovers…there is no one compares with you." He whispered softly. Soledad giggled slightly, letting go of his hands to hug him around the neck.

"You are as wonderful as the other girls say." She said, a very enthusiastic smile on her face. It was Jacob's turn to laugh.

"And these memories lose their meaning…when I think of love as something new…"

"Really?" He asked, clearly interested. "I never thought about other people talking about me…"

"It's all good!" Soledad explained quickly. Jacob nodded slowly and put both his arms around her waist, letting her lean her head on his shoulder. "Es increíble." He heard her whisper.

"What?" Jacob asked, pulling away slightly to look at her. Soledad's eyes were wide; apparently he wasn't supposed to hear that.

"¡Ay!" She exclaimed. Her face immediately flushed and she pushed herself away from him. "I'm sorry, just me being loca. Er…I guess we should be going." Soledad pulled away from him, pulling her hair into a low ponytail and heading out of the Great Hall.

Jacob stared at her for a few moments before following her out the door, his cape swishing behind him.

"In my life I love you more…"