Chapter 16- Kevin Tries to Keep his Big Mouth Shut: Someone's got a Screw or Two Loose

Kevin had been five seconds away from dancing with a pretty Beauxbatons girl, when Peter Briggs began to sing, and she screamed and joined the mob of girls trying to get to the stage. Kevin sighed and leaned against the back wall. He stared out into the crowd to see Dennis approaching from the mob of girls. He was wearing a goofy happy smile, as if Dawn had just proclaimed her love to him, which Kevin doubted would ever happen.

"Something good happen?" Kevin asked.

"Wonderful," Dennis said. "I'm in love."

"You told me that months ago," Kevin said. He turned to look at Dennis. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Better than okay," Dennis sighed. He conjured up a chair and sat down. "I feel like I could fly."

"If you really wanted to, I'm sure Davies would let you borrow his broom," Kevin said.

"She's so beautiful."

"Davies?" Kevin asked quite concerned.

"Lena," Dennis said.

"Oh," Kevin said. After a moment, the name clicked. "What about Dawn?"

"Who?"

"The girl you came on this trip to get to know better and spend time with," Kevin said. "Dawn Parkinson. Long black hair, blue eyes, Slytherin. Any of that ringing any bells in your head."

"Look at her," Dennis said. "I'm in love."

Kevin knew something was very wrong with Dennis. Sure, he had asked Lena to the ball, but that was only because Dawn had gotten a date before he could ask her. And, after a few hours, Dennis was in love with Lena? He wondered if Lena had used a love potion, but then he realized that Lena would never sink that low. If she couldn't get a guy based on looks and flirting, she would smear his name in the mud so that he couldn't get any girl, not to mention her.

"Dennis, what happened to make you realize you're in love with her?" Kevin asked.

"Who is he in love with," Tummala's voice sounded behind the two boys, "if he's not in love with you? Another Mudblood perhaps?"

"You, actually," Kevin said. He was proud, he had just come up with an insult… wait, what wasn't an insult, more of a complement. But he had been a bit witty.

Tummala's face screwed up and she looked slightly sick. "Gross!" she shrieked and ran off.

It was an insult! At least to a stuck-up Pureblood like Tummala.

"Well," Kevin turned back to Dennis.

"I've loved her as long as I can remember," Dennis said in a dreamy voice.

"How long can you remember back to?" Kevin asked.

"About three minutes ago," Dennis said as if was nothing out of the ordinary.

"And what happened at that exact moment you can remember back to?"

"Lena kissed me." Dennis sighed again, staring into the crowd of females trying to get as close as possible to Peter Briggs. Lena had made it all the way to the edge of the stage. Surprisingly, Kevin noticed that Dawn was not part of that crowd, but was at a table with Leo Pasts and Baddock.

"Are you sure you don't remember who Dawn is?" Kevin asked, turning Dennis's head in Dawn's direction.

"Dawn who?"

"Never mind," Kevin said. Peter Briggs finished his song and disappeared. The crowd of girls spread out and they all rejoined their dates or sat at tables. Kevin saw Lena approaching. So did Dennis, who jumped to his feet and ran to meet her.

Kevin followed. "May I have a word with you for a moment, Lena?" Kevin asked.

"Right…"

"Yes," Kevin said. "Right now." He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to a secluded corner of the ballroom. "What did you do to him?"

"What do you mean?" Lena asked.

"Let's see," Kevin said rolling his eyes. "He's acting just like someone put a love spell on him and he is now obsessed with you. He can only remember back to when you kissed him."

"I can't remember much that happened before forth year either," Lena said.

"When you kissed him a minute ago," Kevin corrected himself.

Lena lifted an eyebrow, then bent close to Kevin. "Are you jealous or something?"

"Why does everyone assume I'm queer?"

"I was actually wondering if you were jealous of him," Lena said, "but now that you mention it…"

"No, I'm not jealous," Kevin snapped, face flushing. "I'm worried about him. He's had a hard time recently. You know what happened over summer break."

"That is true," Lena said. Kevin and Lena looked back at Dennis, who was staring at the two of them, but hadn't moved an inch. "I'd better get back to him so he doesn't get jealous. Talk to you later, Kevin." She blew a kiss toward him.

Kevin swore he could feel the kiss land on his cheek, and suddenly felt his knees get weak. He couldn't help but notice how pretty Lena was. No, pretty wasn't the word. She was hot!

What was getting into him? He didn't like Lena. He didn't fancy anyone. Except for maybe Stella Kuo. She was cute and smart, but they bickered a bit. Okay, they bickered a lot. But that was only because neither had matured when it came to expressing emotions.

Kevin scanned the ballroom and saw Stella bobbing her head to the beat of the music and standing with Frost, Theresa, and Brutus Maximus. He took a step forward, but then her eyes turned to look at him, and he froze up. He decided for his own safety that he should retreat back to the punch bowl.

Kevin stared back into the crowd of dancers at his friend dancing with the sexiest girl on… scratch that, Lena. It was just Lena, the girl who got everything she wanted because she deserved it and was just beautiful like that… scratch that also. Kevin stared at his friend, doing everything he could to not think about Lena, and her beautiful locks of red hair, and mischievous green eyes, and her magnificent body that looked perfect in everything she wore… He was thinking about her again.

"Looks like someone is jealous," his sister's voice sounded from behind him. He spun to see she was pouring herself a small class of punch. She was also sweating quite profusely.

"Is it a conspiracy against me or something that all the girls know to say the same thing that isn't true but is still very annoying?" Kevin snapped. "Do you send messages through the ground?"

"No," Theresa replied. "You were just squinting you eyes at you only friend… or were you squinting your eyes at…"

"No," Kevin yelled. He hadn't realized the music stopped briefly as Madame Maxime stepped onto the stage to make an announcement. "I am not queer!"

There was a moment of complete silence, followed by Baddock yelling, "Good to know as long as you're on the same train as I am."