Neville was in love. With the most beautiful girl ever. Unfortunately, so was every other guy in the school. She was perfect, with long silky blond hair and watery blue eyes. But Alyssa didn't even know he existed.
"Move, Longbottom!" Draco hissed, snapping Neville out of his thoughts. Draco pushed passed him and continued down the hallway. Neville sighed and headed down to the Great Hall for lunch. On the way he passed Alyssa, he stopped and stared at her for a minute, enjoying the scent of her imported perfume, and continued on. "How can I get her to notice me?" was the question in his head as he sat down to eat his food.
Meanwhile, further down the table, out of Neville's hearing range, Alyssa was eating her lunch with a few friends.
"So, aren't you guys excited about the big Yule Ball coming up?" Abby said excitedly. Alyssa rolled her eyes.
"Everyone makes such a big deal out of that," she said. Alyssa, being the beauty that she was, already had six invitations and the ball was still two weeks away. She had turned them all down, however. This year, she was looking to go with the right person, and not some love struck kid who only liked her because of her looks and popularity. But she knew that was only a dream.
"Look at that loser…" Chris said, pointing to lonely Neville.
"Oh, Chris, lay off him," Alyssa said. She hated when people picked on other people. But an idea was already forming in Chris' head.
"Hey Alyssa," he said slyly. "I'll bet you fifty galleons that you won't go to the dance with that kid." Alyssa started to say something about how low betting was when she got an idea. Fifty galleons would be a great addition to her new favorite charity. She had always wished she was one of those rich girls, who could give to charity whenever she wanted. But no, she'd gotten her popularity only from her purebloodness and good looks.
"I'll do it!" she exclaimed, maybe a little too loudly, and they shook on it. Then it was time to go to her afternoon classes, which began with double charms. Afterwards, she saw that kid again, in the hallway. He appeared to be staring at her. She walked over to him.
"Hello," she said. "I have a question for you." Neville looked in awe, drooling at the mouth a little. The love of his life was actually speaking to him! "Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?" He stood there for a moment, the words registering in his brain. Then he eagerly nodded his head. "Alright," she said. "I'll pick you up the night of the ball at your dorm." She could see from the color of his uniform that he was a gryffindor. The two not so different after all people continued on with their lives for a couple weeks, until the night of the ball. Neville was up in his dormitory, getting ready for his hot date.
"I can't believe you're going to the ball with Alyssa McCroyle, the girl who transferred into our school last year and is in the same year as us," said Ron, who was wriggling himself into Percy's old, tight, orange dress robes. Neville, himself, had red dress robes and had tousled his hair with gel.
"Wow, Neville," said Dean, "Red is really your color."
"Thanks," Neville said and gave his friends a weak smile as he headed outside to wait for Alyssa.
Alyssa was also in her dorm room, doing her hair. She had decided on a half ponytail, curling the ends of her hair. She wore a light green ribbon in it that matched her light green, silky dress robes.