"Oi," Nel stopped in her tracks and turned to see none other than Cedric calling after her. "I don't want you to take this personally, but I'm not going to the Yule Ball with you. Is that alright?

She looked at the Hufflepuff in surprise. "I only said yes because I didn't want to embarrass you in front of everybody else. I'm actually planning on asking Cho."

How gracious of Diggory. He was letting her down and he was even good at that. To the older teen's surprise, she actually seemed relieved.

"You seem happy," He laughed a little. "It's a long story," She drawled out really not wanting to relive the tale. "Malfoy dared me to do it. He said if you said no, he'd take pity on me and take me," She rolled her eyes still fuming at his offense.

"Oh?" Cedric wondered out loud. "And you want to go with him?" He asked nosily.

"Absolutely not!" She cried out louder than he expected. "He was just bullying me like always."

"Sounds to me like he wants to take you," Cedric flashed her a knowing smile.

"Why didn't he just ask then?" She groaned out feeling beyond irritated.

"Also sounds like you him to take you," He teased playfully.

"Nonsense," She glared at him with hostility. "I'm waiting for somebody else to ask me," She avoided his questioning gaze.

"Anything I can do to help?" He offered. Merlin, he was such a Hufflepuff. "You've done enough. Thanks, Ced," She thanked him for sparing her the terrible humiliation of being turned down in front of half of the school. He flashed her one of his infamous smiles. The kind that made girls everywhere melt and it almost made her regret not holding him onto his word.

(AN: Ha! Bet I really had you there for a moment lol).

That had been a couple of weeks ago.

It was officially the third weekend of December, meaning the holiday had just started and the ETA for the Yule Ball was exactly one week.

Yule Ball Dress: Worth it.

Yule Ball Date: Nonexistent.

Elowen was presently brewing a weak version of Amortentia also known as Love Potion #9. The potion had yet to turn red but the pleasant smell of fine wool and lemon tart seemed to flood the Second-Floor girl's bathroom.

"I never had to brew a love potion to get a boy to like me," Moaning Myrtle taunted as she hovered around the Slytherin who was presently focused on properly adding her rose thorns into the light blue potion.

"Shut up Myrtle," Nel glared with great frustration as she sat with her legs crossed underneath her body on the bathroom floor. "You never had to brew a love potion to get a boy to like you because you're dead."

"And yet you alive- still cannot manage," she laughed loudly. Nel shot her a nasty look she wanted to throw something at her but knew it would simply phase through her. "At least I'm not dead," was her lame comeback.

Myrtle scowled in her direction before spewing more insults, shrieking and vanishing into the sink behind the girl making the water splash and rain on the Slytherin Fourth Year. "Ugh…" Nel wiped some water from her brow with great frustration.

"I won't pretend to know why it is you're brewing Amortentia in the Second Floor's bathroom," an invasive voice suddenly interrupted. "And a particularly weak one at that," Professor Snape walked into the girl's bathroom with both of his arms crossed over his torso. He glared down in judgement already assuming the intentions behind her brewing.

"Professor Snape!" Elowen said alarmed staggering to her feet. "How did you-?"

"The stench reeks in the corridor. I wouldn't be surprised if Mr.-," Snape paused holding his tongue for a moment. "Whoever, stumbled upon you."

Somehow this was even worse than Snape using her to rehearse ballroom dancing with her in front of the entire Slytherin House. Her ears were burning a dark shade of red as she hid her embarrassed face. She wanted to admit it wasn't what it looked like but didn't know how to without getting into trouble.

Now with his hands behind his back, the Potions Master stepped forward peering down into the cauldron and reached down to add an extra dash of pearl dust which in turn turned the potion a bright shade of red before shifting a glittery white powder. The bathroom was filled with a strong cologne smell that made the girl pinch her nose from the potency. It smelled like something familiar she had smelled somewhere in the castle before.

"Carry on," Snape drawled out looking unimpressed. "Five points Slytherin for attempting an advanced potion and with that – my office Monday after dinner." He turned referring to the private lessons he had been giving her.

"Y-Yes, Sir," She nodded her head forward as he left without another word. That had been a close one. The worst part was that Nel didn't want the potion to drug someone with it. The potion would serve a much more evil purpose.

Yule Ball Prank: In the works.

It was part of her end of the bargain with Peeves. He helped her escape that claustrophobic office last year and now she had to do his bidding and ensue chaos at the Yule Ball. Dramatic much, but Peeves liked a show.

The potion was in the making, there were currently several bottles of Spyrit liquor, the strongest liquor known to Wizard kind hidden under her bed. The Weasley twins, her suppliers, weren't sure if it would do much to the Bulgarians, but she had to give it try. She was currently carefully bottling the potion making sure not to spill any when Myrtle again screeching phased through the floor and knocked the bottle out of her hands making her spill the potion on her uniform.

"Myrtle!" Nel shouted angrily as she attempted to rub the strong-smelling potion from her school jumper and skirt. "Serves you right," Myrtle stuck out her tongue and raspberried at the girl before again vanishing. It was almost time for dinner, cursing under her breath the girl packed up the potion in different vials before rushing back to the dining hall. She didn't look any different, but she found it odd that people kept on turning their heads when she passed by them in the Great Hall.

"Smells like home," Ivo, one of the Bulgarians, inhaled deeply as the girl walked behind him. The Bulgarians looked at her oddly as she took her regular seat with the other Fourth Year Slytherins.

"New perfume?" Theodore commented as he lowered his book when he caught a whiff of his friend.

"Why do you smell like halide?" Tracey asked wrinkling her nose, she looked at her friend with paranoid suspicion. "Huh?" Nel asked not even knowing what halide is.

Daphne wrinkled her nose leaning over her dinner plate and visibly sniffing her friend who deliciously smelled like a s'more.

Other students who took noticed in the strong scent all turned their heads towards her. She looked at them uncomfortably. She couldn't just sit and explain to them just what she had been doing.

"Why-" A pair of hands slammed on the table next to her. "Are you wearing Draco's cologne?" Pansy demanded to know with a furious expression. Malfoy looked at the two girls confused. All he could smell was the lemon tart dessert.

"I'm not," She simply answered shooting the girl a wary look. Pansy looked between the brunette and the blond boy that was sitting some seats away with terrible irritation.

Draco had been awfully quiet as of the late, suspiciously dodging Elowen. Then again, so had most of the Slytherin boys, even Blaise Zabini, Crabbe and Goyle. She figured they didn't want to be near her in case she asked any of them to the dance. They didn't need to flatter themselves; it wasn't as if she'd ever do it.

Daphne looked at her friend suspiciously having a feeling of what it was she was really smelling. "Have you found a date to the ball yet?" She asked absentmindedly.

"No, not yet," Nel whispered leaning closer over the table. Her eyes shot to look at the Ellar Lestrange who was sitting all the way across the Great Hall in the Ravenclaw table.

"Why don't you just ask him and get it over with?" Theodore suggested with a careless shrug. Nel looked at him incredulously and then turned back to look at Daphne with disbelief at what the Slytherin was suggesting.

"What's the worst that can happen?" She suggested.

She turned to look at Tracey hoping for a defense. "Just do it. Worst case scenario he says no and he sucks."

With a determined look the girl reached in her bookbag and pulling up a parchment she scribbled something in it rather madly before folding it into a paper plane and enchanting it to fly across the Great Hall. All waited with their eyes obviously fixed on the older teen as he caught and unfolded the parchment looking up and smiling weakly at the girl.

"Is that a yes?" Tracey clenched her friend's arm.

"No," She said smiling back at him. "I asked him to meet me somewhere," She reached for a pumpkin pastry and took a bite that would most definitely make the Lestrange's dining room table kick her before chugging her water and heading off without another word.

"Wait! Nel!" Tracey called after her friend who was already running out of the Great Hall. "Where is she going?" She asked Daphne and Theo who looked at her figure vanishing.

"I hope he says yes!" Daphne gushed excitedly.

"Shit."

The three friends turned to look at the Slytherin who had slipped and audibly cursed. For some reason Draco looked caught and almost looked sick with paranoia and guilt.

Ellar Lestrange calmly walked up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower. He wasn't sure what Elowen Saintday could possibly want to discuss with him. He wondered if his mother had been particularly giving her a hard time. As far as he knew the two had no contact, even if Cloelia regularly asked him for updates on the girl's life. He shared what little he knew about her life.

Opening the trap door to the tower he saw how she stood near the railing mouthing some words to herself practicing a repeated flicking movement with her wand.

"Hey," He interrupted and watched her jump a little.

"Oh! Hi! Ellar!" She laughed nervously before walking towards him and trying to keep her hair tame despite the bad weather. It wasn't a nice night, with a strong wind carrying the cold December air to them.

She stood in front of him slightly swaying her body back and forth as if she was waiting for him to ask her something.

"What can I do for you Elowen?" He asked slightly perplexed as to what she wanted to talk to him about, so privately and up here out of all places.

It wasn't the question she was hoping to hear.

Giving a step back and flickering her wand golden sparks began to fly from the tip as she rapidly moved and waved it writing out four words in her best handwriting in the air.

'Yule Ball
U + ME ?'

She dotted the '?' and the words began to spin in a colorful array of beautiful lights and magic. Ellar made a noise that sounded like a curious chuckle. He looked at her with surprise and took in the rare, yet pleasant scent of red wine that filled the open space between them.

Her heart was jumping at her throat and she looked terribly nervous. Breath quicker than usual. Hand shaking slightly at the fear of rejection.

"Elowen," he managed to say with a tight smile on his purse lips. "What is this?" He waved at the glowing letters above her that had begun to fade as the girl's optimism did too.

"Do you…" She choked on her words. "Do you want to go to the Yule Ball," She paused for a moment swallowing the word that had choked in her throat. "with me?" She looked at him with large and hopeful eyes.

He was quiet for a moment before answering.

It took him only a couple of seconds to answer but time felt like it was moving slower. It might as well have five maybe ten minutes of silence between them.

"Yeah, I would," he spoke softly. Yet despite his positive affirmation, his expression was a sullen one filled with confusion. Her heart leapt for a moment as she held her breath waiting for his answer. "But I thought you were going with Malfoy?"

Silence.

Now it was her turn to be confused. "You mean-" She hoped he had gotten the names messed up. "Cedric?" She asked him with a knotted brow.

"No, I mean Malfoy," the wavy-haired teen repeated. "I heard you two are going together."

She listened not believing a word he was saying.

"I would've asked you myself, but I didn't want to step on anyone's toes," he shook his head slightly. "So, I asked a friend instead."

She wore a blank expression on her face as the anger began to bubble inside of her. He found it hard to tell just what she could possibly be running through her mind. She had no volatile reaction to his words.

"Word is you begged him to go with you."

It was almost as if he was purposely provoking her, drilling and pushing into her buttons which he was more than well aware would make her blow up despite how cool and collected she had been trying to appear.

Nel's hands were tightly clenched at her sides gripping her wand tightly. Her eyes turned into angry slits, resembling the ones of somebody that could and would kill.

"That I what?" She drawled out now absolutely livid her voice a low hiss.

Ellar's head snapped to the side when he heard a loud pop and saw one of the dim lights of the tower pop making shattered glass fly everywhere. One by one each and every one of them exploded until the two were consumed by an unfamiliar darkness. In a blind rage the girl stormed out of the tower seeking an exit. He stood in the darkness wearing a satisfied sneer.

Portraits in Hogwarts shrunk, rare students and even some prefects stepped out of the way as they saw the girl full on rampage stomping down the moving stairs making way to the Slytherin dormitory where she was ready to drag someone out of bed and potentially murder them in cold blood. And by them she meant Draco Malfoy who was suddenly turning in the stairs of the second floor.

"You!" Her loud shout echoed the stairs waking up some of the sleeping portraits as she descended the moving stairs. Malfoy was out of luck as the moving stairs that lead to the third floor moved skewing the directly in his direction. Whipping out her want red sparks flew as she attacked the Slytherin with repeated crimson flashes.

"You conniving, evil, ferret-weasel!" She shouted at him each word being followed by a nasty hex. "You ruined everything!" She shouted at him. Large frames rattled as they trembled and were tossed off the walls. People in the portraits screaming or collapsing as their frames came down to hit the floor.

"Expeliarmus!" Draco managed to disarm her. She didn't look twice for her wand; she didn't need need magic to do what she was going to do. She leapt off the second step and pushed him back tumbling on top of him. She was about to strike him, but he caught her hands in his.

"I can explain," He attempted to barter with the enraged girl.

"I would rather hear a mandragora scream than listen to whatever pathetic lie you're about to pull out of your ass!" She shouted enraged. The only thing she wanted, the only thing she had been expecting of this year was to have a decent date with a boy she fancied at the Yule Ball and he had taken that away from her and for no good reason. Her dress it would be for nothing. She had been robbed.

"Elowen, please, let me explain," He swallowed the barbwire knot that had formed on his throat. She let go of his hands pushing them away from her and sat back on the floor looking at him with glassy eyes.

He wanted to ask her to the ball. In a way he had. Not properly. But the two were friends. The two could go to the Yule Ball as friends.
However,… What would his parents say? What would his mother think?

When his mother had asked him who he planned on escorting to the Yule Ball he had lied and written home that he wasn't interested in any of the girl's his year. His mother had suggested him escorting a Pureblooded young lady such as Daphne Greengrass, Pansy Parkinson or even Millicent Bullstrode. Neither Davis or Saintday had been amongst his mother's options and then again, why would they be?

Both of them were barren from Pureblood Society since their names were not included in the Sacred Twenty-Eight Directory.

His father had a peculiar attention for Saintday and so did the Lestranges, but that didn't change the fact that she was a nameless nobody without a knut to her name.

He didn't need to ask to for their permission to know that they would never approve.
It simply wasn't what was expected of him.
If anything, it would perhaps make things worse…

However, if he could make it seem as if the two just happened to end up going together – his parents could've been upset, but they would have let it slide. After all it wouldn't have been his fault that the two just happened to end up there together.

"I thought we were friends!" She spoke before he could. "This isn't what friends do to each other. You're a liar and a cheat and I can't believe I trusted you! I do this to myself, over, and over, and over, and over again," She wiped a stray tear that escaped the corner of her eye.

From a higher floor Theodore and Daphne who were also looking for their friend had begun rapidly descending when they heard the commotion of the many paintings collapsing. Tracey ran from the floors below as the five Slytherins met halfway.

"If this is what it's like being your friend, I don't want it!" She tossed angrily standing up as her friends reached her side.

"Nel, please," He could've begged. He stood up feeling both small and self-conscious under the deathly daggers of all her friends were shooting him. Davis already had her wand pointed at him ready to attack and Saintday's in her other.

"Stay away from me!" Nel shouted at him with a broken voice before walking away, her two girl friends following behind. Davis shot him a look that could kill before descending down the staircase. Greengrass shook her head seeming almost disappointed. Even Nott didn't seem pleased as he stuck around levitating the portraits back into their appropriate places and positions on the wall.

"You're a foul git you know that?" Theodore shot him a nasty glare. He had never been one for confrontation but riled up and just as angry as his friends he had to say something.

"Shove off Nott," Malfoy spat back angrily. Who was Theodore Nott to judge him?
"You think you're better than all of us judging with your beak hidden behind a rotting book."

"If you wanted her to go to the bloody ball with you, why didn't you just ask?" He shrugged in disbelief at the blonde's childishness.

Theodore thought Draco wouldn't answer him, but his words brought him to a halt.

"You know why," He uttered darkly.

Words which sadly resonated with Theo. There was a reason why he had never invited his friends over to his home.

"What do you think your ancient father would do if you took someone like Saintday home with you?"

Theo didn't want to think about his aggressive father or the things he would say or do to him or his friends if they ever met. He had never confronted his father about it, but the rumor was that Theodore Nott Sr. had even known Voldemort even before he became You-Know-Who. Rumors where he was one of the first Death Eaters. Having fought for the dark side in the Wizarding War being an elderly widower, it seemed like Nott had avoided being sent to Azkaban simply by appearing vulnerable and playing his cards right.
However, Saintday…

"She's not like the others and you know that," Theo spat back. "You think the Lestranges took her in out of the kindness and generosity of their hearts?"

Draco was silent his lips drawn into a serious thin line. Finally hanging the last portrait Nott turned to speak properly to Malfoy.
Saintday, Davis and Nott never discussed their personal lives at Hogwarts. It was some type of silent unspoken rule that the three had sworn never to cross. Just as Theo never asked Nel about the odd bruises she would sometimes wear she'd never inquire about his family's past siding with the Dark Lord.

"Both, you and I know that they want something from her. Sirius Black taking her away as an infant, living hidden amongst muggles for twelve years, private lessons with Snape, the Lestranges, her being a Parselmouth, the fact she can see therstals…" He trailed off before leaning in close.

Draco was a little stunned at the revelation that Nel could see Therstals. It was a fact that only people that had seen death could see these horrible creatures.

"Whatever it is that they want, it's dark, and it's not… good. Nel already has enough on her plate. She could do without you tormenting her," his green eyes raked the silver haired blonde before scowling his way and leaving Draco to stand under the judging eyes of the school's portraits.

"I would curse him," Tracey paced the second-floor girl's bathroom. "I swear, I would curse him but he's already a pathetic and sad," Tracey tossed angrily under her breath as she paced in circles.

"Just stop," Nel shook her head as she pinched the bridge of her nose keeping her head lowered. She really didn't want to think about what had happened with Ellar and specially not with Malfoy.

She could've lived knowing that Ellar didn't want to go with her but knowing that Malfoy had pulled off that nasty trick. Specially after he claimed the two were friends. She didn't know what they were, but whatever they were it wasn't friends. Friends didn't do that to each other.

"It's just-!" Tracey's hands twitched as she clawed and closed them in frustration. "Why-? Like-? WHO DOES THAT?! What was he thinking?"

"I don't think he was…" The orphan kept her head lowered pessimistically.

"Nel," Daphne who had been silent all of this time, yet remained observant began. "Have you thought that," She wondered out loud. She wasn't even sure how to proceed what she was going to say without triggering a fight with both of her friends. Both Tracey and Elowen looked at her with confused expressions at what she was so hesitant to say.

"Maybe Draco really did want to go to the Yule Ball with you," She suggested the theory which sounded incredulous to the two other girls. Nel kept her eyes lowered and particularly focused on a wet spot on the bathroom floor. Really not wanting to dissect what Daphne had just said.

"No," Tracey shook her head in denial. "That's just- no," she said borderline disgusted by the theory she deemed to be ridiculous. The odds of the Ballcastle Bats winning the British Quidditch Cup were higher.

"It's not that farfetched," Daphne insisted strongly believing in her peculiar theory. "Think about it. He's constantly hovering around you; he literally pulls your hair in class, and he's always trying to get your attention-" She was interrupted by Tracey.

"Daph, he's just a bully-" She was again interrupted by Daphne who had already began her tangent on this analysis.

"Good or bad – he always tries to get Nel's attention."

The two other Slytherins were still giving the blonde a confused look. It was almost as if she was speaking alien to the two of them.

"What I'm trying to say is that maybe- in case it hasn't crossed either of your minds - maybe he likes you!" She announced. The silence after her sentence was impressive. So impressive you could hear a sink leak drop and drop at the end of the bathroom's sink.

"Daph, that's toxic," Tracey coughed awkwardly after a moment of heavy silence. "What? Malfoy? No- there's no way," She stammered thinking about how ridiculous it was for the scenario to be in the slightest bit realistic.

"I never said it wasn't toxic!" Daphne said defensively simply raising up her hands. "All I'm saying is-"

The two friends began bickering back and forth about how possible or impossible this way. One more passionate than other in the suddenly becoming heated debate. Nel didn't want to think about anything. Burying her face in her hands and taking in a deep stressful breath her two friends grew quiet.

"That's enough," She exhaled finally sitting up. "I don't want to talk about it. Malfoy, Ellar, any of that," She shook her head to the sides. "Trace," she turned to look at her friend. "Do you to go to the ball with me?"

Maybe she should've done this since the beginning. Simply ask a friend to go with her.
I mean why not? She would've asked Daphne, but she knew that she would be attending the Yule Ball with Theodore.

Nel didn't know what she had been expecting but Tracey grew silent at her question. There was a pregnant silence. It went on long enough that her friends questioned why she had grown mute.

"…I already asked someone," She admitted quietly, almost sullenly as she eggshelled around the topic.

Normally Daphne would've been excited so would've Elowen but instead both looked at her with the same grave expression.
"Who?" They had to ask.

Tracey took in a deep breath and rubbed the nape of her neck nervously as she braced herself to reveal just where and who she had been spending so much of her time with.

"Leanne Moon, Hufflepuff," she looked at them with a lowered head fearing the judgement that could come.

Nel scrunched up her nose at the revelation. Who was Leanne Moon? It took her a moment to jog her memory and then she remembered that over excited Hufflepuff that had been taking photographs of Tracey during her Quidditch practice. She had seen her around the castle photographic shadows and other moving objects.

Tracey closed her eyes, getting ready to leave, already feeling a cold sinkhole forming in her heart.

"A Hufflepuff?" Daphne snorted letting out a laugh. Nel elbowed the girl sitting next to her also laughing slightly. Both of her friends flashed Tracey an accepting smile that almost made her forget what she had been worrying about for so long. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"I hope she's cool," Elowen said with the first grin of the night. "Just tell her to stay away from the punch."

xxxxx

STARRING

THE ORIGINAL CAST OF THE HARRY POTTER SERIES

with

ARDEN CHO as LEANNE MOON

and

NIKKI BLONSKY as MILICENT BULLSTRODE

Xxxxx