Chapter 10

It was eight o'clock, everyone was putting their dress robs on for the ball. Ron was complaining about his robe ("it looks like a girl's") and Hermione was wearing her fancy blue dress robe, and was fixing Ron's. Harry was looking at everyone in the common room, he was ready, wearing his dark, green robe that Mrs. Weasley bought for him in the summer, and he was waiting for Chris, who was getting ready in the girls' dormitory. "Where's Chris?" Hermione would ask Harry every minute, looking bored, as Ron complained behind her. I shouldn't have decided to go to the ball. Harry thought, looking tired and bored as Hermione. After twenty minutes (the common room was still full) Chris was ready and she came down from the dormitory. Harry turned and saw…he saw her as though he had never seen her before. She was the most beautiful girl Harry had ever met. She was wearing silvery, red dress robe that Harry had never seen one like it before, and her beautiful, long hair spread on her shoulders, like silk. It looked as light as a feather, and she had earrings shaped like a beautiful, red and golden phoenix, she wore a watch that bore certain strange symbols around the edges and its hands were arched in a sweet way. Harry stood there for a moment, stunned. The common room was silent (even Ron forgot about his robe). She came to Harry and said in a whisper, "I went shopping in Diagon Alley" she said, Harry came back to reality. "Oh" he laughed slightly. Some of the students went back to their work but some of them were still looking at her. "You look…nice" Harry said, smiling to her. "Thanks" she said. Hermione continued fixing Ron's robe. Harry, Chris, Ron and Hermione went out of the common room at half past eight and they headed towards the doors that led out to the grounds. On the way there they met Malfoy and Pansy; both were silent when they saw Chris. The four of them went to the doors and out of the castle. They looked at the grounds and saw something that was stunning. The grounds were no longer grounds; they were covered in a beautiful, purple carpet that spread across the plain. There was a huge stage belt in the middle of the grounds and it was filled with white light and glow. On the opposite side was another stage, a smaller one, it has a sign pinned above the curtains that read:

The Weird Sisters

"Oh" Ron said, "they are bringing the Weird Sisters, they are really good". And between the two stages there was a wide collection of tables of all shapes and colors. They went and sat on a silver table shaped like diamond, it bore four chairs. The Weird Sisters was a band that played all sorts of music. Harry enjoyed listening to them. Most of the students came late, some of them were dancing, and some of them were eating or drinking butter bears. Hermione took Ron to the stage after an hour of waiting in silent. They looked really happy, dancing around. Harry didn't want the moment to come when he has to ask Chris to dance, he doesn't even know how to. "Harry" she suddenly said, "do you want to dance?" she asked him. "I…I don't know how" he said, reddening slightly. "I know…just a little" she said. They sat there and talked about lessons and about students. Some boys were looking at Chris as though wanting to ask her for a dance, but they stop when they see Harry. Harry even noticed Colin getting nearer, but he smiled when Harry saw him and went the other way. "Come" Chris said, taking his hand. "Let's dance a little" she said, as a quiet music started to play. "I don't…" "It's Ok" she said, "I'll show you". She took him to the stage and Harry saw professor McGonagall dancing with Dumbledore. She took Harry's left hand and put it on her waist, she put her right hand on his left shoulder, and their free hands clasped together with a grip. They went left then right, then left then front. Harry felt that dancing was easier now, it was so simple. "Harry" she said, looking behind him, "who's that old man" Harry looked around, and saw Dumbledore dancing happily with Professor Victor now. "Oh, that man" he said, "that's the headmaster, professor Dumbledore" "Oh" she said, surprised. "Is that him" she saw him as he turned in the spot and was facing her. In the moment he glanced at her, his eyes pierced hers as though like an arrow, she noticed a very small frown on his face in that second their eyes met, and Christina felt something not right in her stomach, something that didn't make any sense to her. She didn't know why, but she didn't want to look at the man again, her heart told her that it wasn't the right thing to do. "Harry" she said, stopping. "I need something to drink" she said, smiling. "I'm beginning to get hot around here" "Ok" he said, "I'll go and bring some butter bears from inside the castle" and he went off towards the big doors. Christina was heading to the table when she saw a man with black hair, and a slightly hooked nose. He was looking at her in a way that no one else in her life looked at her. He had a clear frown in his face when she met his eyes, as he sat on the teachers' table. She turned quickly and headed towards the table. After a minute Harry came to the table, holding two glasses of butter bears and was smiling at her. "Here" he said, handing her the glass. "Thanks" she said. His smile faded when he saw that she looked worried. "What's wrong?" he said. "They are really weird staff" she said, looking at the teachers' table. "Why?" he said. "Who's that man over there?" she asked, pointing at the hooked-nose man that was talking to professor McGonagall now. "Oh" Harry said, "that is Severus Snape, our potion's teacher" he said it in a hateful way. "Why are you asking?" he said to her, frowning. "Oh, it's just that he was looking at me in a strange way" she said, "as though…I don't know" she didn't tell Harry about the feeling she had when the two men looked at her, but it was the same feeling, but an unknown one. "Just forget him, he's always like that with everyone" Harry said. And Chris felt better when Ron and Hermione joined them with the drinks and food. Chris was talking to Hermione and then she looked at her watch and said, "Harry can I talk to you, please?" she asked, and there was something strange about the way she said it. "Oh, yeah, sure" he said, following her to a private area. "I…I know you might have forgotten about it, but I haven't" she said, seriously. "But it's time now" she said. "What?" Harry said, looking at her in a puzzled way. "I have to go home tonight, remember?" she said, looking up. Her beautiful eyes were bright but she never broke the gaze. "What? No, not now" he said, remembering the deal. "You can't…" but she stopped him, "yes I can…I can Harry" she stopped and then said, "I have to". He was lost for words, they were having a great time, and he didn't think that she would think about that thing again, but she did. "Ok" he said, "you go and tell Ron and Hermione that you're leaving" he pointed at them. "No" she said, "I can't do that…you tell them, and tell Mrs. Weasley about me, send her a letter…tell her that it has been a pleasure living with her and her family". Harry wanted to argue one last time but he felt that there was no hope. "I will" he said resigned.