Harry Potter is from the creative genius that is J.K. Rowling. We are not her. This is merely a fan fiction to tide us over until Book 6.
A/N: We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for reviewing this fanfiction. We hope you continue to enjoy it.
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"Are you ready yet?" Ginny's voice came from the door.
"Almost! I have to try and tie this scarf around my ponytail!"
Sighing, Ginny briskly walked walked around Alaire's screen. "Here, let me." Deftly, she tied a large pink bow on top of Alaire's hair. "There! Now we match. What do you think?"
The girls were dressed almost exactly alike. Tight white oxford cloth shirts from their school uniform tied at the waist, denim jeans with the cuffs rolled up, white socks, and their school shoes temporarily transfigured into black and white oxfords.
"The only thing we need are our jackets," remarked Alaire. "Voila!" Ginny pulled two jackets out of a bag that she had tossed on the bed.
"How did you get these? They're great!"
"I have a special relationship with a house elf named Dobby. It turns out that he's quite the fashion maeven. I mentioned that I needed matching jackets and the next thing I know, here they are!"
"Cool!" Alaire picked up the closest one and eyed it for a moment.
"Um, Ginny? They're kinda small and this one has socks embroidered on it."
"Oh, Well. Dobby has a sock fetish. Actually that's kind of Harry's fault."
Alaire gave her an odd look. "Harry bought socks when we were in Hogsmeade together, should I be worried?"
Ginny laughed and shook her head no. "I'll explain more later. Let's fix these first."
A few incantations and waves of their wands later and the jackets were perfect. Two hot pink satin bomber jackets embroidered on the back with the logo, "Pink Ladies" with two fuzzy dice below the name lay on the bed. Ginny quickly waved her wand and the girls names were embroidered on the fronts.
"Perfect!" Alaire tried her's on and smiled in the mirror. The pink made her cheeks glow. She wondered just how many appreciative glances she would get that night. That train of thought then pulled into the Harry/Neville station.
"What are the guys wearing? I thought we were all going as people from Grease?"
"They wouldn't tell me and Harry's been real secretive and usually he can't hide anything from me or Hermione."
"Well, let's go see then!" The two girls literally skipped and jumped their way down to the common room which now looked like a scene from an old movie. A lot of girls were wearing poodle skirts or capri pants. Several guys from 6th year were wearing matching bowling shirts with their hair greased back in identical styles.
There was no sign of Harry, Neville, Ron, Dean, or Seamus. Hermione was also conspicuously absent.
"Where are they? Its time to go," Lavender Brown had huffed impatiently when a loud "Oooo!" went around the room. Down the boys' stairs came the 7th years. Each one was wearing a black leather jacket, white T-shirt, and black jeans. They stopped half-way down the stairs then nodded and waved like superstars.
Ginny and Alaire after gawking with the rest of the crowd began to laugh.
"Well, we now we just need Hermio- Oh, my goodness! My brother is going to have a heart attack!"
Alaire followed Ginny line of sight until she saw Hermione coming down the stairs. She wore tight black jeans, a tight black sweater, a black leather jacket and black high heels. She had teased and fought with her hair until formed a mass of curls accented with a single bow. Her bright red lips fought with her heavily made-up eyes for attention.
Hermione smiled brightly as she caught sight of Ron, who was trying very hard to just breath as he watched her move. With a feral smile on her face, Hermione walked over to a stunned Ron. Hermione walked over to Ron who was speechless.
"Shall we?"
An awestruck Ron just nodded and said in a squeak, "Anything you want."
Proudly the couple made their way down the stairs. The crowd parted in front of them just like the Red Sea leaving amazed and amused Gryffindors in their wake. Alaire was standing agape looking after them when she heard Harry's voice in her ear.
"Alaire, come here a moment." He motioned for her to follow him. When he had pulled her into a corner, he turned with a mischievous look on his face. "Want to really wow the crowds?" he asked with an uplifted eyebrow. Alaire had never seen him so playful and she hoped it had nothing to do with sock fetishes..
"Yeah, sure. What do you have in mind?" Harry began to whisper in her ear but was interrupted by Ginny tugging at Alaire's sleeve.
"Come on, Pink Lady. Save the snogging in corners until the party!"
Harry stuck his tongue out at Ginny as Alaire blushed. Smiling, Harry pulled Ginny into the conversation. A few moments later, the trio was giggling. "You're on! That will be great!!" Alaire and Ginny nodded enthusiastically.
"OK. Let's go!" Harry grabbed both girls by the hand and headed towards the door. Just as they were about to leave, Alaire looked back to see Neville staring at them with a sad smile on his face. It was almost like he expected to be the last one left in the common room.
"Just a minute, Harry!" Alaire said taking her had out of Harry's. She ran back into the room, noticing how Neville's smile, while still slim, grew a bit as she approached. Grabbing Neville, by the hand, she asked, "Will you promise to save me a dance?"
Neville had been watching the interchange with Harry had been trying not to feel jealous or left out. Of course that was pretty hard considering the two women that he ever had a crush on were now holding the boy-who-lived's hands. It wasn't enough he had to have one of them, but both? Of course, he'd gotten over Ginny long ago. Walking in on a snogging session between her and Draco was enough to squash that but it still hurt a bit. What hurt even worse was Alaire giggling happily and hanging on Harry's every word. He wished that it could be him instead.
"Sure. But what are you up to?"
"Now, now, Neville. Don't you want to be surprised like the rest of the school?"
"Alaire," Neville started to caution her but she was already gone out the door with her conspirators. This was going to be a helluva night, he thought with a sigh. Later, he would reflect that perhaps he had learned something in Divination after all. ====================
"I'd like to welcome everyone to the Halloween Ball. I am greatly pleased with the turn out and with the costumes! Fifty points to Gryffindor for its unity. Seeing all of you makes me feel like a young man again! Fifty points to Ravenclaw which has some of the most imaginative costumes I've seen this age. I believe that we have almost 20 different magical creatures among us tonight! Hufflepuff also earns fifty points for its accuracy in portraying Muggle tourists so well. And, Slytherin, only you could create such a lovely and unique costume. It's the only time I've seen one snake with 25 individual parts. Good show! Fifty points to you, as well." Dumbledore smiled on his students, quite pleased with himself. "Now, on with the show!"
He waved his arms and upbeat music filled the room. Soon the room was a writhing mass of Hawaiian shirts, snake skin, Puffskeins, and poodle skirts.
The party had been in full swing for twenty minutes when the doors to the hall burst open. The students quickly backed up fearing the worst. Instead, they were greeted by the roar of a motorcycle from over their heads as Harry, Alaire, and Ginny flew into the room.
A shiny mass of chrome and leather, the bike gleamed in the spotlight. Harry gunned the motor while on the back, holding on for dear life sat Alaire and Ginny. They circled the room to riotous applause then landed gingerly on the spot usually occupied by the teacher's table.
"Sorry about the mess professors," Ginny said hopping off.
Hagrid roared. "Blimey, Harry! This is the bike I used when I pick you up. Sirius would glad to see you got it working. You've spent enough hours down at the house . . ." Hagrid trailed off as Harry gave him a look. "Oh! Where did you get such a beautiful bike, Harry Potter?" Hagrid announced in an even louder voice.
Behind him, several professors just shook their heads in disbelief and amusement.
"The very same Hagrid," Dumbledore nodded. "Ingenious vehicle actually."
"I don't believe, headmaster, it is prudent for a student to show such reckless behavior as to drive an enchanted muggle vehicle on the grounds. I believe this is what got Mr. Potter and Mrs. Weasley almost expelled before," snipped Snape.
"Ah, but it is the season of enchantment of the magical kind, Severus. Even muggles agree with Halloween."
While McGonagall and Snape looked distinctly displeased, Dumbledore was glowing. He quickly walked over to the bike and began to quiz Harry on how it worked. Ginny and Alaire took their bows then worked their way through the crowd toward the Gryffindors.
"Surprised?!" Alaire shouted as she neared her classmates.
"That was bloody brilliant!" shouted Hermione.
"Hey! That's my line!" Ron corrected her. He started to turn to Ginny to say something but she pre-empted him.
"Don't you say a word, Ronald Bilius Weasley. You flew an enchanted car to pick up Harry his second year and THEN flew it to Hogwarts. Say one word and its Bat Bogeys for you!"
Ron quickly backed down and actually walked casually behind Hermione for protection. Smiling, Alaire scanned the hall for Neville. Seeing him, by the punch bowl she made her way through the crowd to him.
"So what did you think? Wasn't that cool?" Neville nodded while he took in Alaire's flushed face. "I was going to sit on the handlebars but Harry thought that it might be too much."
"Well, you know Harry. He doesn't like to show off," Neville commented with a touch of sarcasm. Alaire didn't hear the remark as the music began to play again.
"Come on! Let's dance."
She grabbed his hand and began to pull him towards the floor. Terror filled Neville. He had been dreading this moment. He didn't know how to dance. Self-consciously, he compared himself to a hippopotamus trying to do ballet.
"Neville! You promised me!"
Neville managed to shout back, "I'll do a slow song!"
Alaire glared at him. "Fine! I intend to have fun!"
He spent the next twenty depressing minutes watching Alaire dance first with Colin Creevey then a Hufflepuff dressed as a Fwooper. She even danced once with Seamus who ended up with a smack for his fumbled attempts to bump and grind with her.
He was lucky he didn't get a punch, Neville thought. He would have, if not for the fact he squeezed his glass so hard when he saw the scene, that he had crushed it. He had to spend the next few minutes getting a healing spell cast by Hermione. Inwardly, he chided himself and reminded him of Alaire's words. He had no right to be so jealous. They weren't a couple. He knew his own feelings in the matter but wasn't sure of Alaire's.
She flirted with him but then she flirted with lots of people. She had told him once, "Neville, listen, in parts of America, flirting is like an Olympic sport. Everyone flirts with everyone else. Haven't you heard me teasing Seamus? Dean? Harry? I even tease Ron just to watch his ears turn red. I'd do it more often but I'm afraid Hermione would jinx me! AND, I flirt with YOU! Hasn't anyone ever done that before?"
Neville would have never admitted it but the answer was a most certain "No".
He continued to watch the dancing until Alaire finally ended up with Harry who was thoroughly enjoying himself at a dance for once. He had an odd jerky dance that reminded Neville of some aboriginal dancer. Alaire on the other hand had a sensual swerve that entranced him. Several times she had motioned for him to join her but he just couldn't make his feet move. Plus the thought of being that close to a gyrating Alaire made him distinctly uncomfortable in the very best way.
Neville sighed with a mixture of relief and dread as the lights calmed and the music began a slow sensuous beat. He looked up to see Alaire once more motioning for him to join her as Harry walked towards the punch bowl. Reluctantly, he walked over to her with feet of lead. He knew she wouldn't take no for an answer. With a smile, she simply wrapped her arms around his neck while he awkwardly placed his hands on her waist. He looked down to make sure his feet were in no danger of stepping on her toes.
"Calm down, Neville. This is just swaying to the music. Close your eyes and just feel the music."
He did as she asked. He slowly relaxed and let himself be guided by Alaire. "Just sway back and forth, back and forth." She put her cheek next to his.
"You wore cologne," she said with a low giggle. "How very sexy of you."
With his eyes closed, he began to be aware of her perfume. Before he could stop himself, he whispered, "You smell like honeysuckle and magnolia."
"Good. I rubbed the essence of the flowers on my neck before I came down. I was hoping you'd notice."
The sound of her voice in his ear sent chills down Neville's spine. His mind was trying to remember if honeysuckle and magnolia were used together in any love potions, but his brain wouldn't work.
"Now, you're relaxing. That's better."
They swayed for a few moments more before Alaire stepped in closer wrapping herself around Neville quite effectively. "See, dancing is easy."
Actually, Neville wasn't sure that they were still dancing. All he could feel was Alaire's hand gently playing with the hair at the nape of his neck while her hips brushed against his in time to the music. He was sure that he had stopped breathing ages ago.
"Mmm. I could dance like this all night, Neville," Alaire commented as the song came to an end. But apparently, someone was looking out for the couple as another slow song started up.
The beat changed and Neville felt his heart change with it. Tentatively, he moved one of his hands up Alaire's back a little bit while moving the other one down. His heart definitely stopped for a second or two when Alaire put her head down on his shoulder. An American woman was singing softly about leaving someone behind.
Oh, that boy of mine
By my side
The silver moon and the evening tide
Oh, somesweet day
Gonna' take away
This hurting inside
Well, I'll never be blue
My dreams come true
On Blue Bayou.
"I requested one of my favorite songs," whispered Alaire. "I'll have to take you to New Orleans some day."
She pulled back and looked into his eyes. At that moment, Neville would have gone with her to the moon if she had asked. He had just summoned his courage to look down at her lips when suddenly there was a crash near the front of the room.
All eyes turned to see Harry facing Patrick Travers, a 6th year Slytherin.
"What were you doing?" Harry shouted protectively as he pulled his bike into an upright position.
"I was just checking out the engine. Don't be so touchy."
"Touchy? This bike used to belong to someone very important to me. Its irreplaceable so don't touch it!"
"I'll do what I please, Harry Potter, you do not boss me around! You think you're something. Well, I heard about your dad and his friends. You're just like them thinking you're something you're not. All proud because you play Quidditch. But I bet you'll end up just like Sirius Black, in Azkaban, insane, and wishing you were dead. We'll have to hand your body over to your sweet little boytoy and the mudblood to bury."
Out of the corner of her eye, Alaire saw Draco make his way over to where Ginny was talking to Hermione. Ginny had her wand drawn and her lips in a thin line. Draco, himself, looked quite panicked about what was going to happen.
After a few muttered words, the two made their way to where Professor Snape stood. Meanwhile, an amazed crowd listened to this exchange in horror.
"Pat, you've been drinking something a little stronger than punch or butterbeer." Harry said as he tried to control his temper. "You don't know what you're saying."
"I know exactly what I'm saying, Potter." He walked over to Harry and stood in his face. "And, if my Uncle Travers was here, he'd tell you himself what he and Bellatrix used to do to people like your parents just for fun. Ever heard of Crucio?"
Visions of Sirius falling backward through the veil flooded Harry's mind and that was the last straw. Harry took a swing at Patrick and soon all four houses were trading punches.
Waves of pain washed over Alaire as the fighting spread. She was flooded with fear as her fellow students either ran from the hall or ran towards the melee. She couldn't move. She seemed to be paralyzed from the trauma.
Neville had quickly pulled Alaire aside when the fighting began. He had just managed to open the main doors when he saw her huddled against the wall. She was clear of the fight but seemed to be terrified. He glanced around to see if anyone could help her. Harry and Ron were in the middle of the scuffle. Harry had broken out in boils thanks to Blaise Zabini. Ron had managed to somehow get both hands around Goyle's neck while Hermione, in turn, had wrapped herself around Ron and was trying to pull him out of the fight. Seamus and Dean were both cursing Slytherins at random. Dumbledore and the teachers were freezing various students with Petrificus Totalus.