Disclaimer: I own Ainsley and Jada, the rest belong to JK.
"Ainsley! Why is Cedric taking Cho Chang to the Yule Ball!?" Harry asked.
"I told him to."
"Why?!"
"Because I don't want to go. Why are you asking?"
"Well..." Harry stammered. "I asked her. I ...I sort of like her."
"Oh Harry! Why didn't you tell me!?"
"That's not something one normally talks about with their sisters." He looked at the floor and sat down next to Ron.
"I'm so sorry Harry, if I had known I wouldn't have done it."
"It's okay, I'm going with Parvati."
"Well that should be fun. Ron who are you going with?"
"I'm not going." Ron huffed. "I hate my dress robes, and I don't have a date."
"But Ron, you have to go, you are Harry's best friend in the whole world."
"You aren't going, and you are his sister."
"You've got me there Ron. I'll go. I'll go to the Yule Ball." I stood up. "Ron will you be my date?"
"What? YES! I mean, yes I will. Thank you!" Ron jumped up and engulfed me in a hug. I hugged him back.
"Oh, so now you'll go." Harry scowled.
"Oh Harry." I ruffled his hair. "I'll get her to dance with you." Then he smiled.
"Okay Ainsley."
The next day I found Cedric so I could tell him I was going to the ball.
"I'm going to the ball."
"What?! That's great! I'll just tell Cho what happened –"
"I'm going with Ron."
"You aren't going with me?" He looked hurt.
"I'm sorry Cedric. You are already going with Cho, whom Harry has a crush on mind you. Ron didn't have a date. I just felt bad."
"But now Harry can go with Cho."
"What about Ron? I can't do that to him." I frowned. "Besides, Harry's going with Parvati."
"Can I at least dance with you?"
"Who do you think I am? Of course." The week flew by and it was finally Christmas. Everyone was exchanging presents and the mood was happy. Jada and Draco had given me a necklace with the letter 'A' that changed color depending on my mood. It was gorgeous. I gave Jada a monogrammed 'J' ring, and a muggle romance novel. She had confessed to me that even though she is a pureblood, she was intrigued by the muggle written word. To Draco I gave a broomcare kit, which he loved. I gave Harry and Ron loads of sweets and a couple of jackets. To Hermione I gave a book written by a ministry of magic employee and a nice hairpin to wear. They gave me gifts as well, I was very grateful. I met Cedric in our hallway to exchange our gifts.
"Here. I hope you like it." I handed him the broom I had wrapped in brown paper.
"A firebolt!? Oh wow, Ainsley. This is so awesome! Thank you!!!" He kissed me and propped the broom against the wall. "Now here is yours." He gave me a small white box. When I opened it, I let out a small gasp. I pulled out the chain to find a diamond ring. The ring had a square cut diamond in the center of two smaller square diamonds.
"Muggles call it a 'promise ring'." He explained to me. "It means that we promise ourselves to each other and no one else. It's almost like a pre- engagement ring." All I could do was stare at him. "I...I...I know it's only been a few months, but I already know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you." I was speechless, and he added quickly. "It's not an engagement ring, it's basically a 'promise to get engaged' ring. Am I making any sense?"
I already knew what he was talking about. A muggle friend of mine has received one from her boyfriend. "Perfect sense. I know what it means." I laughed. His cheeks flushed red.
"Do you like it?" He asked.
"I love it!" I threw the box on the ground and handing him the necklace. I turned around, lifted my hair, and he put it on me. "Thank you so much." I said, turning back around to face him. My lips made contact with his, and he kissed me back. I broke away a few minutes later. "I have to get ready for the ball."
"I can't wait to see you."
"Happy Christmas." I kissed him again. "I love you."
"I love you more."
"Not possible." I shook my head. He walked me back to the stairs that lead to Gryffindor tower. The common room was crazy with girls running back and forth, trying to get ready for the ball. Katie was among them.
"Why do you have the gigantic smile on your face? You aren't even remotely ready yet!" She cried. I showed her the ring on the necklace. "Oh!!!!" She squealed. "That's bloody gorgeous."
"Isn't it?"
"Definitely. The house elves put your dress and shoes out on your bed." She called after me and I headed up to our dorm. There on my bed was my black, strapless dress, my black strappy heels, and long black gloves. The room was empty and I quickly put on my dress and shoes. I looked at myself and struggled to figure out what I was going to do with my hair and makeup. I settled on a simple, elegant updo and applied the smoky eye shadow I liked so much. I applied a little bit of red lipstick and put on my long gloves. I admired myself in the mirror. I looked very much like the muggle actress Audrey Hepburn, but I was sure that not a lot of people at Hogwarts knew who she was. I went down the stairs to the common room, I spotted Ron, Harry, Parvati, and Hermione and walked over to them.
"Are you excited?" I asked. They stood up and turned around.
"Wow Ainsley...you...look..." Ron stammered and raked his eyes over my body. I blushed.
"Bloody HOT!" Fred yelled and he and George ran over, followed by their dates, Angelina and Katie. Us girls started to squeal about how beautiful we all looked. The boys rolled their eyes.
"Hermione! You are wearing the hair pin I gave you!" I said to her.
"It matches my dress perfectly, I couldn't resist." She smiled. "Are we all ready?"
"Yes, I think so." Angelina said. We all walked out of the portrait hall together and went down to the entrance hall, waiting for it to be eight o'clock. I heard my name being called and I looked over to see Cedric pushing through the crowd with Cho. Ron stiffened next to me. What is wrong with him?
"Ainsley! Why is Cedric taking Cho Chang to the Yule Ball!?" Harry asked.
"I told him to."
"Why?!"
"Because I don't want to go. Why are you asking?"
"Well..." Harry stammered. "I asked her. I ...I sort of like her."
"Oh Harry! Why didn't you tell me!?"
"That's not something one normally talks about with their sisters." He looked at the floor and sat down next to Ron.
"I'm so sorry Harry, if I had known I wouldn't have done it."
"It's okay, I'm going with Parvati."
"Well that should be fun. Ron who are you going with?"
"I'm not going." Ron huffed. "I hate my dress robes, and I don't have a date."
"But Ron, you have to go, you are Harry's best friend in the whole world."
"You aren't going, and you are his sister."
"You've got me there Ron. I'll go. I'll go to the Yule Ball." I stood up. "Ron will you be my date?"
"What? YES! I mean, yes I will. Thank you!" Ron jumped up and engulfed me in a hug. I hugged him back.
"Oh, so now you'll go." Harry scowled.
"Oh Harry." I ruffled his hair. "I'll get her to dance with you." Then he smiled.
"Okay Ainsley."
The next day I found Cedric so I could tell him I was going to the ball.
"I'm going to the ball."
"What?! That's great! I'll just tell Cho what happened –"
"I'm going with Ron."
"You aren't going with me?" He looked hurt.
"I'm sorry Cedric. You are already going with Cho, whom Harry has a crush on mind you. Ron didn't have a date. I just felt bad."
"But now Harry can go with Cho."
"What about Ron? I can't do that to him." I frowned. "Besides, Harry's going with Parvati."
"Can I at least dance with you?"
"Who do you think I am? Of course." The week flew by and it was finally Christmas. Everyone was exchanging presents and the mood was happy. Jada and Draco had given me a necklace with the letter 'A' that changed color depending on my mood. It was gorgeous. I gave Jada a monogrammed 'J' ring, and a muggle romance novel. She had confessed to me that even though she is a pureblood, she was intrigued by the muggle written word. To Draco I gave a broomcare kit, which he loved. I gave Harry and Ron loads of sweets and a couple of jackets. To Hermione I gave a book written by a ministry of magic employee and a nice hairpin to wear. They gave me gifts as well, I was very grateful. I met Cedric in our hallway to exchange our gifts.
"Here. I hope you like it." I handed him the broom I had wrapped in brown paper.
"A firebolt!? Oh wow, Ainsley. This is so awesome! Thank you!!!" He kissed me and propped the broom against the wall. "Now here is yours." He gave me a small white box. When I opened it, I let out a small gasp. I pulled out the chain to find a diamond ring. The ring had a square cut diamond in the center of two smaller square diamonds.
"Muggles call it a 'promise ring'." He explained to me. "It means that we promise ourselves to each other and no one else. It's almost like a pre- engagement ring." All I could do was stare at him. "I...I...I know it's only been a few months, but I already know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you." I was speechless, and he added quickly. "It's not an engagement ring, it's basically a 'promise to get engaged' ring. Am I making any sense?"
I already knew what he was talking about. A muggle friend of mine has received one from her boyfriend. "Perfect sense. I know what it means." I laughed. His cheeks flushed red.
"Do you like it?" He asked.
"I love it!" I threw the box on the ground and handing him the necklace. I turned around, lifted my hair, and he put it on me. "Thank you so much." I said, turning back around to face him. My lips made contact with his, and he kissed me back. I broke away a few minutes later. "I have to get ready for the ball."
"I can't wait to see you."
"Happy Christmas." I kissed him again. "I love you."
"I love you more."
"Not possible." I shook my head. He walked me back to the stairs that lead to Gryffindor tower. The common room was crazy with girls running back and forth, trying to get ready for the ball. Katie was among them.
"Why do you have the gigantic smile on your face? You aren't even remotely ready yet!" She cried. I showed her the ring on the necklace. "Oh!!!!" She squealed. "That's bloody gorgeous."
"Isn't it?"
"Definitely. The house elves put your dress and shoes out on your bed." She called after me and I headed up to our dorm. There on my bed was my black, strapless dress, my black strappy heels, and long black gloves. The room was empty and I quickly put on my dress and shoes. I looked at myself and struggled to figure out what I was going to do with my hair and makeup. I settled on a simple, elegant updo and applied the smoky eye shadow I liked so much. I applied a little bit of red lipstick and put on my long gloves. I admired myself in the mirror. I looked very much like the muggle actress Audrey Hepburn, but I was sure that not a lot of people at Hogwarts knew who she was. I went down the stairs to the common room, I spotted Ron, Harry, Parvati, and Hermione and walked over to them.
"Are you excited?" I asked. They stood up and turned around.
"Wow Ainsley...you...look..." Ron stammered and raked his eyes over my body. I blushed.
"Bloody HOT!" Fred yelled and he and George ran over, followed by their dates, Angelina and Katie. Us girls started to squeal about how beautiful we all looked. The boys rolled their eyes.
"Hermione! You are wearing the hair pin I gave you!" I said to her.
"It matches my dress perfectly, I couldn't resist." She smiled. "Are we all ready?"
"Yes, I think so." Angelina said. We all walked out of the portrait hall together and went down to the entrance hall, waiting for it to be eight o'clock. I heard my name being called and I looked over to see Cedric pushing through the crowd with Cho. Ron stiffened next to me. What is wrong with him?