Chapter 4: The Gryffindor Ball
Friday morning's Breakfast was full of surprises. Once again Harry awoke before anyone else in his dormitory so that, by the time his roommates had begun stirring in their beds, he was ready to head down to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Luna was already seated at the Ravenclaw table, buried in the latest copy of the Quibbler with her wand tucked away behind her ear. "Good morning Luna," Harry said cheerfully when he reached her. "Oh, Hullo," she said, looking up at the ceiling and sniffing the air. "Yes, it will be," she declared.
Then Luna caught sight of a few Slytherins entering the Great Hall and looked daggers at them. "Is it true," Harry asked, remembering Hermione's excuse last night. "Someone from Ravenclaw dueled with someone from Slytherin?"
Luna looked gravely at him and her answer surprised him. "Yes. It's rather sad really." Harry frowned. "How do you mean—did your mate loose?" Luna considered him for a moment. "Cho Chang banished Millicent Bulstrode's jaw bone. Millicent's still in the hospital wing so I'd say she's the one that lost."
"Cho," Harry said, amazed, "That doesn't sound like her." "No, it doesn't, but that's not all," Luna added. "She doesn't really talk to anyone, not even in Ravenclaw, so she's not very popular anymore. She still has a few old friends here and there, and a new one as well, but not like before. She's also having counseling sessions with Professor Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick regularly. I hear it's something like depression."
Harry flashed back to yesterday's visit to the headmaster's office and realized what Cho and Flitwick were doing there. But as he thought about it, he also realized that Cho didn't seem depressed at all, just preoccupied. Luna plowed on.
"Anyway, she's also been made a reserve seeker for last year's loss in the final, and she's landed herself in detention all next week. Sad, really," she repeated. "Reserve seeker," Harry said incredulously, "She's one of the best flyers I've ever seen."
Harry shook his head in disbelieving anger. Sure he had had some bad times with Cho before, but he never ever doubted that her kindness was genuine and felt that she didn't really deserve any of this misery.
Droves of students were casually entering the Great Hall now and Professors Flitwick and Vector had already taken their seats at the staff table. Even the schools caretaker, Mr. Filch, had arrived and was standing by the four great hour glasses that displayed the house-points, sipping on something hot from a mug.
"See you tonight, then," he said to Luna. "I suppose," she replied dreamily. When the rest of the committee joined him at the Gryffindor table, they said little more than morning greetings, however their faces spoke volumes, and Harry couldn't help but feel both excited and nervous.
"When will you're brothers get here," Hermione asked Ginny. "After lunch," Ginny answered. "What?" Harry asked, surprised. "They're going to deliver the music themselves?" Ginny smiled. "Actually, they're going to stay for the ball," she amended. "They're going to be like, disk jockeys; you know," Hermione added.
Harry grinned at Ron, who grinned back. "Just like old times," he said to Harry. "Not quite," Ginny corrected. "Dumbledore only said they could come if they behave. That means no Canary Creams or Ton Tongue Toffees or anything else like that."
Ron appeared to give it some thought, and then laughed. "Filch is going to be furious when he sees them back here. He won't be able to do anything to them 'cause they're not students anymore. HA!" Everyone laughed.
Harry however, vividly recalled the time when Cho Chang had glared down Filch in his defense last year and silent rage erupted inside him. He looked over at Filch, whose mug suddenly shattered, spilling hot liquid down his front.
Just then the morning post owls came swooping into the Great Hall and drew everyone's attention. A tawny landed in front of Harry to deliver its letter. It was from Hagrid, who was asking them to come by when next they had some time to spend with him.
Since most of their free time was going to be spent making last minute preparations for this evening's ball, and the fact that this weekend would be the only time they could scale the mountain of homework that was the result of it, they decided that a visit to Hagrid's hut would have to wait until next week; probably until next weekend.
Harry's first lesson seemed to drag on for hours. He unwisely counted the minutes until lunch and grew more and more famished as the morning progressed. By the end of class, Harry wasn't even sure he had actually eaten any of the breakfast he remembered having that morning.
After class was dismissed Harry made his way to the Great Hall at a brisk pace, practically ignoring Ron and Hermione's pleas to slow down and thought of nothing but the wonderful food that was about to appear on that blessed house table.
But any thought of sustenance gave way to euphoria at the sight of Fred and George ambling through the oak front doors when Harry reached the Entrance Hall. Oddly enough he no longer felt hungry and decided to accompany Fred and George, as well as Professor McGonagall, to the forth-floor classroom.
Harry and the rest of the committee finished their dinner that evening with a certain amount of indifference, their focus on tonight's event which they alone had been responsible. Harry's nerves seemed to infect the rest of his friends; sapping their enthusiasm and making him feel even worse for having suggested the whole thing.
Harry knew something had to be done; this was his idea after all. He still felt like the lead on this event, and if he didn't do something, who would? Arriving at the conclusion that their attitudes alone would probably determine tonight's success, or failure, Harry beamed at them, taking them by surprise.
"It's time to go," he said optimistically, "We've got to be there before anyone else." "If anyone else is coming," Ron said moodily. "Who cares how many people turn out," Harry said calmly, looking around at his friends. "We'll still have fun."
Hermione took hold of Ron's hand and gave him a little smile. "I can sure go for a bottle of Butterbeer—anyone know where I can get one," Ron said, an expression of pending pleasure spreading on his freckled face. A few of their friends smirked.
"Does that camera of yours have a timer," Harry asked the Creevey brothers. "Yes," they chorused. "That's it, then. We're all going to take a group picture together... just the committee. Tonight's gonna be loads of fun, and I want something to remember it by." That did it. Elation and excitement filled their faces and they purposely rose from their seats.
It wasn't unusual to see a few students leaving dinner before desert appeared, but many heads turned in their direction as they quietly made their way to the doors. Harry exited first and waited outside for everyone to pass, sharing a grin with each as they did. Parvati returned Harry's smile with a mischievous one and his nerves surrounding her plans for tonight resurfaced.
Without warning he heard the Headmaster clear his throat and knew he would be plugging Gryffindor's ball. Harry froze as Professor Dumbledore reminded the rest of the school of tonight's event. He wanted to run, to not hear the silence at the end of Dumbledore's address that would break his spirits utterly, but his legs refused.
He stood rooted to the spot as Dumbledore finished speaking. And just as Harry managed to turn himself around and stagger towards the marble staircase, he heard a fair amount of applause. That has to be half the school, he realized. It sounded like they were planning to come—and finally, he knew it would be alright.
Harry rushed up to Gryffindor tower and quickly changed into corduroys, a tee-shirt, and sweater-vest. Ron and Hermione were waiting for him by the fireplace; the others had already gone down. When he joined them a sudden surge of affection came over him.
This was the way it was suppose to be, a Friday night party and his two best friends, and at that very moment, to Harry at least, there was no prophecy, no new prediction. There was only tonight. Tonight and, of course, photos.
No sooner had the trio entered the ballroom were they chivvied in front of a huge Hogwarts' banner the Creevey brothers had unearthed from somewhere. Colin and Dennis had several shots in mind; three or four poses of just the girls, two more of just the boys, and five of the whole committee—including two with the twins.
All the girls, Harry noticed, submitted to the photo session with great gusto. Parvati and Lavender took another three by themselves, as did Hermione and Ginny. Katie took one with the twins, and Ginny insisted on taking one with her three older brothers.
"We're next, you know," Hermione said to Harry, as he watched his surrogate family with a grin. He had just registered that peculiar fragrance she always seemed to ware now when her words finally hit him, and a rush of half dread, half excitement came over him.
The prom picture of Ms. Figg's niece had come to mind, except it was him and Hermione in the picture instead. "Me, you and Ron," she continued. "Oh... right," said Harry, catching her meaning with a slight pang. She gave him a searching look and then turned away grinning.
Voices could now be heard outside the double doors. The muffled babble slowly grew louder, hinting to the increasing size of the waiting crowd. One of the doors opened slightly and Professor McGonagall slid in, almost sideways. Colin closed the door behind her, exiting with his camera.
Their head-of-house wore a stern look that was punctuated with a small smile. "It's almost time," Professor McGonagall announced. "Are we ready?" Everyone looked at Harry who took one last look at the ballroom, empty but for their decorations and the small groups of tables and chairs they had arranged around the room. Harry nodded.
Professor McGonagall pointed her wand at a large table some distance away from the smaller table that would be serving as their bar, and sixteen hors d'oeuvre platters appeared, along with stacks of smaller plates.
Harry had just remembered the platter of never-ending sandwiches she had once conjured in Snape's office when there was a small pop overhead and they automatically turned to the huge canvas they had hung above Fred and George's music booth. A photo of the crowd, which Colin had just taken, appeared on it.
"There's a lot of them, aren't there," Dennis said. I'll let our guests in now, shall I," Professor McGonagall said, and then she turned to the doors. Dennis took his place at the photo area while Harry and Ron took theirs at the bar. Katie, Dean, Ginny, Hermione, Parvati and Lavender stood with their head-of-house. With a simple gesture Professor McGonagall opened the doors.
She and the others welcomed the students as they entered, pointing out the photo area, the Butterbeer bar, and the hors d'oeuvres table. Lines quickly formed at each station and the small groups of tables slowly filled.
The guest seemed pleased with the trouble Harry and his friends had gone through for them. They admired the view and immensely enjoyed the photo-showing canvas as Colin clicked away cameos of random tables.
DA members greeted Harry and Ron at the bar, barely containing their enthusiasm. He and Ron took their time handing out Butterbeer bottles to Ernie Macmillan, Hanna Abbott, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Susan Bones, and Anthony Goldstein; catching up on each's summer holiday and receiving compliments for their efforts.
About a half-hour later, the entire room went dim. The photo's materializing onto the canvas above appeared brighter and clearer than when torchlight had filled the room. A spun-glass orb flew up to the ceiling from Fred and George's music booth and seemingly vanished just before it collided with it.
Loud, upbeat music filled the air and miniature fireworks erupted above. Flickers of multi-colored lights floated earthward, vanishing about six feet before they landed. Almost immediately couples proceeded to the dance floor while hopeful guests approached eager-looking ones.
Harry felt suddenly relieved at the fact that he was safely behind the Butterbeer bar, and happily continued to hand out bottles to those in line. Harry wondered vaguely if they had enough Butterbeer for the night and looked over at the doors, attempting to gage the crowd, just in time to see Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecombe, and a few other Ravenclaws coming in.
Cho looked at Hermione, who just happened to be by the doors at that time, and something seemed to pass between them. Harry thought about the enmity Cho harbored towards Hermione and felt a little disappointed. Cho and Hermione could be quite good friends if they ever got to know each other, Harry thought.
As the line worked out, much to Harry's disappointment, Cho received her Butterbeer from Ron, while Harry was busy serving Gabrielle. Cho however, gave Harry a quick smile, and without really knowing why, Harry exulted inside.
Around eight o'clock the Butterbeer line turned intermittent and Ron and Harry scanned the room for Hermione, spotting her at the music booth. George was nodding as she spoke into his ear and, after a quick glance at him and Ron, took a look around.
Then she made her way through the dancing couples and stopped in front of two tables, at which sat Parvati and Padma Patil, Lavender Brown, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, and Seamus Finnigan.
Harry's heart started pounding. It was time for Parvati and Lavender to take over the bar. He struggled to find a suitable excuse to remain at his post, but then saw Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore and knew they would ally with Hermione if he refused.
"That's not fair," he muttered. "What was that?" someone in line asked him. "Oh, nothing Mark," Harry said to the first-year, handing him a Butterbeer bottle, "Sorry about that, mate."
As soon as the current song ended, a new one began and, although he had never heard this tune before, it sounded very familiar to him and he unthinkingly began nodding his head to the beat. He felt a hand close on his and was suddenly being dragged away from the table.
"Ron told me you learned how to swing dance," Hermione said to him. "Oh, did he," Harry said, glaring at an embarrassed-looking Ron, who averted his eyes, looking both guilty and amused. It alarmed Harry to discover just how strong Hermione actually was. Both her grip and her stride seem to pull him effortlessly to the dance floor.
He decided not to resist, catching curious looks from some of the dancing couples they passed. Ernie and Hanna didn't even break their rhythm when they smiled at him and Hermione, each waving hello to them as they went by.
When they reached the center of the dance floor, Hermione faced him and took hold of his other hand. Harry played for time. "Let me think a moment," he shouted, barely audible over the music. "What's to think about?" Hermione shouted back. "It'll be fine!"
She pulled him right up to her and counted to the beat. "One, two, three, and—" Hermione pushed him away as she took a step back and all of a sudden, they were doing the basic step for a measure or two. It all came back to him; everything he learned dancing with Ms. Figg and Tonks.
Almost automatically Harry turned Hermione, and couples dancing next to them, who had already been watching, stopped and goggled. Hermione beamed at Harry. "What else?" she said excitedly, the pair of them returning to the basic step. He remembered some more turns, a couple of spins, a few little things with the hands and arms, and tried them all on Hermione.
She followed his lead perfectly and he suddenly realized how much fun he was having. Dancing with Hermione was so easy that it felt like he had done this with her many times before. Some couples made their way next to them to join in, while others concentrated, watching them for a while before trying the basic step themselves.
Justin Finch-Fletchley and Susan Bones turned up next to them, also doing the basic step. They did it proficiently but did not do much else. Just as it dawned on Harry that Justin and Susan must have just learned the basic step and couldn't yet do anything else, Hermione took Susan away from Justin and gave her to Harry, taking Susan's place with Justin.
They started dancing again, Harry leading Susan, while Hermione taught Justin how to lead. At one point Harry looked around to find everyone immediately around him and Susan swing dancing, or else, learning from others.
It was another song before he and Susan stopped dancing. Giddily, she thanked him and then headed for the bar. Harry found Ron and Ginny by the hors d'oeuvres table and joined them. Ron had a bottle of Butterbeer in each hand and offered one to Harry.
"Thanks, mate," Harry said thankfully. Ron said nothing but instead, tapped his bottleneck to Harry's, and they both took a drink. Harry caught a look from Ginny that stunned him. Unless he was mistaken, it was a look of deepest resentment, as if he had insulted her in some way. With a prolonged glare Ginny stalked off.
Harry was beside himself. It was so shocking that he thought he imagined it. Just then another glass ball shoot up from the booth. "You know what those remind me of," Ron asked, indicating the sphere with a nod. Harry looked at him. "All those prophecies back at the ministry."
"Yeah," Harry agreed, "You know what? During our History of Magic OWL, I just kept staring at Parvati—" there was a gasp from somewhere behind them, but Harry did not register it immediately. "She was right in front of me and—" he broke off, noticing Padma hurrying past them. "And..." Ron urged him on.
"And the sunlight kept shining off her hair. They looked just like the prophecies in my dreams, mind you, I didn't know what they were at the time. When I dreamed about them, they were just little lights. "I'm glad we made it out of there," Ron said tentatively, and Harry knew that he was worried about touching a nerve. Instead, Harry chuckled, "So am I." They toasted again and took another swig.
Around eight twenty, Harry and Ron took seats by Ginny, Michael, Terry Boote and Katie. Ron had selected their table, Harry suspected, to keep an eye on Ginny and Michael, which was fine with Harry because he was able to see Cho who, along with Marietta, had taken a table by one of the great windows.
Harry kept looking away from them, trying hard to conceal his numerous glances, when another pair of former DA members caught his eye. Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood were seated not far from them, having drinks and looking quite happy. Harry smiled to himself and was about to point them out to Ron when, unexpectedly, Parvati and her twin sister turned up.
"May we sit here," Padma asked Ron. "Sure," he answered, taken aback. They sat for a minute or two, quietly watching the glittering lights fall softly towards the lively dance floor like colorful, luminescent snowflakes, before another glass ball shot up to replace its already fading predecessor with a slower, more romantic song.
"I want my dance now," Parvati said, suddenly snapping out of her daze. "Now?" Harry asked, slightly panicked. Padma placed an elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand, grinning at Ron, whose ears turned red.
"I think you owe me one too. You never danced with me at the Yule Ball. Remember? You can make up for it now." Ron laughed weakly, looking uneasy. This forced Harry to remember the slightly guilty feeling he had had after realizing the neglect he put Parvati through at that same Yule ball.
Harry stood up, deciding that this could atone for his behavior of two years prior, as well as fulfill his promise to dance with Parvati. He caught Ginny watching her brother with obvious interest. "Coming Ron?" Harry asked, grinning.
Parvati seemed to keep her body pressed to his the whole time, which felt oddly nice. She kept talking into his ear as softly as she could over the loud, slow music, and Harry struggled to shrug off his nerves. "Relax," she told him repeatedly.
On the other hand, Ron seemed to be faring better. He was a head taller than Padma and had to keep his eyes on hers as she spoke to him so as not to be rude and, although he often flushed at her words, he seemed to laugh a fair amount as well. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself enough that, briefly, Harry wondered if he might be able to dance with Padma at the next song.
When the song ended the couples broke apart to applaud. An upbeat tune began to play and Harry looked at Parvati, a feeling of dread welling up inside him. "I know," she said in a defeated tone, "You don't like this one, right." Numbly surprised, he began to shrug, but just then Parvati leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for the dance," she said, and she and her sister walked off.
Harry looked at Ron. "That wasn't so bad, was it," Ron said with a slight grin. "I guess not," Harry answered airily, recalling the way Ron had obviously enjoyed himself with Padma, and feeling as though he just missed out on some sort of treat. Harry spotted Marietta dancing with Dean Thomas as he and Ron headed back, and immediately looked over at Cho's table.
She was sitting by herself and gazing out of the window, looking pleasantly content somehow, almost entranced. Harry had a strong urge to talk to her, and was just thinking of what to say to her when someone else caught his eye. Deciding that Cho could wait, Harry walked up behind Gabrielle and cleared his throat. She turned to him and her face seemed to brighten.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" Harry asked hopefully. Gabrielle beamed at him but Harry saw a shadow of disappointment behind her smile. "You haven't danced with anybody yet," he guessed out loud. "Nobodee seems to want to dance wit mee," she shrugged, smiling still, as though this conversation with him made up for that fact.
"That's where you're wrong," Harry corrected her, "I want to dance with you." She blinked, flushing slightly, and then glanced over her shoulder. Harry extended an arm. "Shall we?" he asked, and Gabrielle happily accepted.
As they danced Harry couldn't help but notice how diminutive she was, which only bolstered his feelings of being something like her older brother, and he immediately felt very protective of her. He thought about his first year, realizing just how hard first-years actually had it. If he didn't have Ron and Hermione, his would have been a disaster. The fact that Gabrielle spoke English as a second language made this first year all the more difficult.
And then something occurred to him. "There's someone I want you to meet," he told her casually. She gave him a puzzled look and he grinned at her. Almost excitedly she followed him off the dance floor. They had just started making their way around the ballroom when, a lot sooner than he expected, Harry found who he was looking for.
Harry escorted Gabrielle to a couple of first-year Gryffindors who were huddled together in conversation. "Mark," he said, and the boy closest to them turned around, his eyes immediately locking onto Gabrielle; clearly stunned at how pretty she was. Harry was forcibly reminded of the way he used to react to Cho.
"This is my very dear friend, Gabrielle," Harry announced, turning to look at her. She looked at Harry and beamed; Mark seemed to go weak in the knees. "This gentleman," Harry indicated the petrified boy to Gabrielle, "is Mark Evans, also a friend of mine."
He allowed a moment in which Gabrielle smiled softly at Mark, and Mark stared disbelievingly at Gabrielle.
"Mark," Harry continued, and the stunned boy quickly, even determinedly, looked at him, "please see to it that my Gabrielle," Harry exchanged grins with her, "enjoys herself." Gabrielle looked back at Mark, again smiling softly, but with a little nod that seemed to ease his nerves.
Slowly, he offered an arm to her, shooting worried looks to Harry, as though hoping for an indication of some sort that he was doing it properly. Gabrielle regally took Mark's arm and Harry realized just how perfectly matched they looked; they were both a little on the small side.
Harry spent the next fifteen minutes feeling smug about his little match making and reminisced about it twice more, before he heard a familiar voice call his name. It was Cho Chang. "I need to find Gabrielle," she said. "It's almost nine o'clock and I have to get her back to our dormitory."
Harry blinked. "Gabrielle?" he said, mildly surprised. "Yes," Cho answered, a small grin appearing on her pretty face, "The little girl you danced with last. She really wanted to come tonight, so I accompanied her... she's sort of my responsibility, you see. I have to get her back before curfew." "She's with Mark," he thought out loud, taking a look around. Cho's grin vanished and her eyes narrowed, but she said nothing.
When they eventually found Gabrielle taking a souvenir photo with Mark, Cho gave Harry a quizzical look that suggested some displeasure. Gabrielle however, beamed at the pair of them and ran up to Cho, half skipping, immediately taking hold of her hand.
"I 'ave a new friend," she said proudly, looking over and pointing out Mark, who was busy receiving a ticket from Dennis. "That's wonderful," Cho replied, flashing Harry a humorously cold look before returning an apologetic one to Gabrielle. "But it's almost nine o'clock now," Cho said, and without so much as a pause to draw breath, continued her reasoning in French, sounding quite fluent in Harry's opinion.
"Yes, ma'am," Gabrielle said happily when Cho had finished. "Zank you 'Arry, pleese zell Mark zat I enjoyed myself, and I 'ope I see 'im again." Cho gave Harry another look, one of mock anguish. Laughing slightly she shook her head and then raised a hand in farewell. Harry watched them leave feeling slightly disappointed that the idea he had had, the one to walk Gabrielle back to the Ravenclaw dorms, with Mark of course, would no longer be possible.
Around nine thirty, as Ron and Harry stood gazing out at the lake below, Parvati approached them. "Ron, will you walk Padma back to her dorm, please?" There was a formal politeness to her request that made it seem more like a command.
"Ah... sure," he said, looking, not at Padma, who was several feet behind Parvati, in conversation with Anthony Goldstein, but at Hermione, Ginny, and Michael. When Harry followed Ron's gaze, it led to Hermione, who was staring directly at him.
Her sad stare was a little unnerving. Why's she looking at me like that, he thought to himself. But before Harry could think to look away from her, Ron's voice interrupted. "Oy, Harry," and he quickly looked at Ron.
"Wanna come with?" he asked, and relieved, Harry immediately agreed. "Ah, okay." Parvati looked delighted. "We'll meet you at the doors then, shall we," she said to them, and they were off.
Harry had an uneasy feeling about this little trip, as if he were heading into some sort of trap. When he wasn't distracted by one or both of the twins, each of whom seemed extra friendly tonight, he secretly wanted to run, to flee from these would-be captors.
More than once he had a vision of Ron and himself being led away in shackles by Parvati and Padma. He'd shake his head, thinking he had had too much Butterbeer before realizing that Butterbeer didn't make that kind of a difference.
He felt silly. There was no harm in walking Padma back to her dormitory; in fact, it was a very nice thing to do. After a few minutes Harry's nerves seem to lighten, and he was able to relax when Parvati told him to for what seemed like the hundredth time tonight.
"It's around this corner and down the hall," Padma told them when they had reached a large hallway whose walls seemed extra dark and shadow-filled when compared to its well-lighted neighbors. Parvati turned to Ron who now looked a little tense. "Why don't you walk her," she said with an encouraging little smile, "Harry and I can wait here."
Part of Harry thought it was a good idea, while another part of him silently screamed for Ron not to leave him. But Ron merely shrugged, rather helplessly, and gestured to Padma to lead the way. As soon as Ron and her sister turned the corner, Parvati quietly spoke.
"Have you ever kissed a girl before?" For some reason this question didn't really surprise him. The way Parvati had been acting towards him these last couple of nights seemed to be leading up to it. "No," Harry answered, deciding there was a difference between kissing a girl, and being kissed by one.
She looked at him, astonished, and he quickly worried that Cho might have mentioned their kiss to others; Padma perhaps. Parvati gave him a sideways look. "Can you keep a secret?" she asked seriously. Harry's curiosity got the better of him and he answered without thinking. "Of course!" "Good," she said, suddenly looking pleased, "Me too."
Without warning she launched herself at him, locking her lips onto his. Her hands firmly grasped his vest, and she pushed him back towards a dark shadow. Fearing a collision with the wall he knew was drawing nearer, he blindly reached out with his right hand, causing his left arm to reach forward, which somehow ended up at the small of Parvati's back.
Her immediate reaction was to press her body even closer to his. Her tongue slipped into his mouth, and her grip tightened. Harry's hands found her shoulders, intending to push her off, but he paused, noticing for the first time, how soft her lips were. Harry's back hit the wall, and Parvati backed off. "Not bad... but, close your eyes, relax a little and... ah, use your tongue, just a bit more."
He couldn't really see her face in this darkness and wasn't quite sure he wanted to when she brought it to his once more. He closed his eyes, which didn't really have an affect since they were in a very dark shadow already.
Her kiss was softer this time, but in contrast, her hands seemed to be a bit more rough now. They moved up and down his torso eagerly, and at times, pleaded his hands to do the same. She stopped and drew breath slowly.
"A little softer," she moaned, making his legs go weak, which went unnoticed because he was using the wall for support now. She kissed him again, even softer than last time. After a moment, she released him. "Good," she whispered.
She wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing herself much too close to him, and then slipped an arm about his neck while the other caressed his chest. He looked up, fearful that someone, perhaps Ron, would see them like this. Parvati nipped at his neck playfully and, surprised, Harry looked down at her and, for the forth time tonight, her lips found his.
This time he decided to just ease into it and, after a moment, got the hang of her movements, suddenly finding that, much like dancing swing, he preferred to do the leading. After a few minutes Parvati backed off, her eyes opening slowly and a faint smile playing on her lips.
They heard muffled footsteps growing closer and for a moment Harry thought that they would just stay hidden. But Parvati grabbed one of Harry's hands and led him out of the shadows. She looked him over quickly, straightened the front of his vest, then stretched a sleeve of her sweater over one hand and brushed it once over his lips, a little harder than necessary, right before Ron turned the corner.
He was looking a little wary until he caught sight of Harry and Parvati. "I got lost," he said, shrugging, and Parvati smiled. None of them said much on their way back to the forth-floor.
"I'm off to bed, I think," Parvati declared. "We're supposed to stay till the end," Ron said, "cleanup, you know." Parvati looked at Harry innocently. "I know, but for some reason, I'm feeling really; I don't know, talkative, and I think I have to sleep it off."
She walked up to Harry and his heart started thumping. "You don't mind. Do you Harry?" she asked sweetly. "It's alright, er, you go ahead," he said quickly. She smiled thankfully at him. "Thank you Harry. I really appreciate it," she said. "Good night Ron... Harry."
"Don't ask," Harry said to Ron, when Parvati had disappeared up the stairs, "just... don't ask." Ron however, didn't much seem interested in what had just happened. He was busy looking in the direction of the ball, although his eyes appeared a bit glazed over. "What d'you say," Ron asked absentmindedly.