Disclaimer: Aside from two OCs, J. K. Rowling owns it all.

A/N: Akalei – a half-veela? Why, whatever gave you the idea? ;o)

To everybody else who might chance to come across this little story, you are free to review. We grant you our permission.


FFF

6.– Sunday, Bloody Sunday

They held the first committee meeting the next day.

Half the students in sixth and seventh year from every house seemed to have joined up, despite Hermione's stubborn insistence that in these cases, "less is more!" They all gathered in the great hall after lunch.

Parvati called them to order. She had a list of things to discuss.

"Okay," she opened. "Er, first of all, does anyone know how we can get a band to play? Hopefully for minimum wages…"

For a minute, no-one uttered a peep. After a while, Hanna Abbot raised her hand.

"My sister plays the violin," she said, hesitantly. Parvati nodded approvingly.

"Does anyone know someone who plays drums, or anything?"

"I can play the cymbals," Collin offered.

"Anyone can play the cymbals," a Ravenclaw boy muttered.

"Any contribution is welcome," said Parvati, impatiently.

"Well," said Ginny, "there's that man who plays the xylophone outside of the Three Broomsticks. I suppose we could ask him…"

"My second cousin can sing acapella," Ernie McMillan suggested.

"Okay, this is going to be a problem," said Lavender. "We need a band. A synchronized one."

"How can we find money to pay a band?" Hermione asked.

"Do we really need one?" said Dennis Creevey. "I mean, couldn't we just play some records or something?"

"No electricity, Dennis," said Hermione.

"Yeah, but a gramophone… you know, with the little handle thingy?"

"Do you have one of those then? Because I don't think there are any lying around."

The debate continued heatedly for twenty minutes, without anyone coming to a conclusion. Harry and Ron weren't the only ones staring longingly out of the window. Finally, Parvati decided they would ask professor McGonagall if she had any suggestions, and talk about it some more during the next meeting.


The rest of the discussion, concerning the décor and the menu, ended the same way. After the meeting was over, Harry and Ron declared their intention to go and stretch their legs a bit. Hermione and Kya said they'd come too.

They walked along the shore of the lake, all of them trying not to mention the upcoming ball. They felt they had had quite enough of that.

However, since they were steering away from that subject, talk inevitably turned to Quidditch. Harry, Ron and Kya got into a heated debate about tactics, and for once, Hermione had nothing to say, which made her feel left out.

She let them go on for a while longer, until there was a pause in the conversation. She grabbed at the opportunity.

"Have you decided what to wear yet?" she asked, innocently.

Harry gave her a questioning look.

"Er… Quidditch robes, I guess?"

"Not for the match," she said impatiently. "I meant for the ball."

Ron groaned.

"Hermione," he said, "I'd almost forgotten about that!"

"Well, I had an idea anyway," she continued, unperturbed. "You remember the room of requirement? Do you think we could 'require' it to have a store of costumes?"

"That's brilliant," said Harry. "We could require it to have all the other things we need for the ball."

"That's right," said Hermione. "Not a band though," she added, sighing. "I don't think that would work…"

"Speaking of the ball," said Kya, brightly. Ron groaned again.

"Not you too!"

Kya ignored him.

"Do you have anyone to go with yet?"

"Not me," said Harry. "But Ron's going with Hermione."

"That's great," said Kya. "I'm going with Draco."

They stopped.

"What, you mean Malfoy?" said Ron.

"Yes," said Kya, unfazed.

"But he's a…" Hermione searched for a word. "He's a creep! His father tried to kill Ginny, and Harry, and… he tried to kill all of us, Kya!"

"Malfoy's just like him," said Harry. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's a Death Eater already…"

"I don't think you really know him very well." Kya said. She sounded somewhat annoyed.

"He's a ferret!" Ron protested.

"Why are you so hostile?" she asked, frowning.

"Well, we're not the best of friends," said Hermione.

"Because he is evil," said Ron, exasperated. They started walking again.

"Look," said Harry, trying to be reasonable. "He's tried to get us expelled more times than I can count…"

"That is immature, but it doesn't make him evil," said Kya.

"Oh, there's more," said Hermione, getting her back up as well. "He keeps calling me a Mudblood. He's threatened to kill us."

"But he's never carried it out," said Kya, who seemed to be barely keeping her temper in check.

"He wants Harry dead," Hermione insisted. "He said so. Can't you understand that?"

"I think it's you who don't understand," said Kya. Her face softened. "I know you don't get along. You've never tried to see it from each other's point of view. You're condemning him out of hand. You say his father's really horrible, and you're probably right. Don't you think Draco's had problems at home, then? And," she said, before Ron could try to cut her off. "Who could he have had to talk to? Look at the people he hangs out with. You never gave him a chance."

"One of the first things he said to me," said Harry, "was that Muggleborns shouldn't be allowed at Hogwarts. He never gave us a chance to give him a chance."

"Exactly," said Ron. "And you don't know about any of the stuff he's done. You don't know him. We do."

"Well, I'm grateful you're looking out for me, I really am," said Kya. "But he was really nice when he asked me. Actually he's always been nice to me, and I always judge by my own impression; not someone else's. If you're right, and I am making a mistake, I stand corrected, but in that case it's my mistake to make."

And that settled the matter.