In the days leading up to the Yule Ball, Eden began to accept the fact that she would indeed not have a date. Everyone was starting to pair up and there was a hum of excitement in the air as girl's finalized their outfits and the boys talked about how they couldn't wait until it was all over.

Eden stared at her dress in the closet every night before she went to bed, wondering if it would get any use. It was too pretty to just sit there and not be seen, but she didn't know if she was brave enough to show up to such a big occasion alone. Hannah tried to insist that she could easily come with her and Justin, they weren't really going as a couple only as friends. But, Eden didn't feel like she could intrude. She knew that this meant more to Justin than he was letting on and she wasn't going to be the one to get in the way.

She hadn't spoken to Cedric since the other night when he turned her done. She wasn't...avoiding him by any means, she just wasn't sure what to say if she approached him and he wasn't trying to go out of his way to talk to her either. Clara and Draco had been leaving her be for the most part as well, despite the harsh glares she felt on the back of her head.

It seemed as though Sebastian's new found protectiveness over her was keeping them away for now.

"I just don't get why you won't come with us." Hannah's voice pulls Eden's attention away from the window where she was watching the snowfall peacefully onto the grounds.

Eden turns and looks at her friend, dressed in a beautiful gold gown with her hair pulled back in a fancy updo that must have taken her hours to perfect, "Hannah, you look beautiful." She gasps.

"Don't change the subject." Hannah scolds, grabbing her small clutch from her nightstand and sliding it onto her wrist.

"I'm not changing the subject I'm complimenting you," Eden chuckles, 'Seriously, Hannah, don't worry about me." She smiles, walking over to her and places her hands on her shoulders, "I'm making the choice to stay here because I want to, you guys go and have a wonderful time and I'll be here when you get back to hear all about it."

Hannah gives her another harsh look but then she gives in, "Alright, fine, but I'm bringing you back some dessert."

"You know I won't argue with that." Eden smiles, giving her a friendly smile before ushering her out of their dorm, ``Now go before Justin freaks out because thinks you're not coming."

And as the door closes behind Hannah, Eden realizes she is alone for the rest of the night. The whole school would be at the ball and she would be in her dorm reading until someone made their way back. The reality of her decision sets in and she doesn't realize how sad it made her.

Why couldn't she have just bucked up and asked someone for the hell of it so she could be dancing with her friends right now? Without realizing it, she begins pacing her room, thinking of the possible outcomes if she walked down to the ball alone right now. Of course she would be late even if she did start getting ready right away...but what would it matter if she was late? No one was waiting for her.

"Oh, fuck it." She mutters under her breath before stomping into the bathroom to turn on the shower. Why should her not having a date mean that dress had to go to waste? She didn't have to wallow in her self pity alone in her room, she could take control of her life.

Eden was surprised that, despite taking her time getting ready, she still managed to make it to the Great Hall before the dance actually started. It looked as though before anyone else could start enjoying their own night, the four champions had to make a grand entrance. That's who was waiting in the entrance hall when Eden descended the large staircase, lifting her dress up slightly so as to not trip on the hem. The four champions were standing with their dates, Professor McGonagall standing in front of them and instructing them, that is until she noticed Eden making a late entrance.

"Miss Haywood, you're rather late, aren't you?" Eden blushes as the pairs in the hall turn to look at her.

"Sorry, Professor, fashion emergency." She lies, catching Cedric's eyes as he looks her over and she gives him a small smile.

"Yes, well, go head on in and join the other students." She waves Eden off and Eden scurries into the Great Hall, trying to avoid everyone's gaze as she does so.

She slips into the crowd that was split in two, not paying attention to who she ended up standing next to. When she looks to the side she's greeted with the confused face of Ron Weasley.

She smiles at him, "Hi, Ron." She says sweetly, "You look nice." She looks him up and done, admiring his different looking robes.

"You don't have to lie." He blushes slightly and Eden notices how he looks quite grumpy.

"I'm not," She shakes her head, "I don't usually lie. Besides, I really do like them. It makes you look different from all the other boys here." She says genuinely, looking straight ahead with a soft smile on her face.

As the champions enter the hall that was decorated in such lovely winter decor, the other students applaud, examining who they all brought as their dates. Eden was quite impressed that Hermione Granger was arm and arm with Viktor Krum, she did look quite stunning in her pink and purple dress. And, of course, there was Cedric and Cho. Eden felt her heart tighten at the sight of them together but she tried to not let it get to her too much. Cedric looked to be enjoying himself and Cho looked absolutely beautiful.

As she looks across the room, her eyes lock with a certain platinum and she takes in a sharp breath. Draco's jaw is clenched tightly while he looks her over but his eyes betray his facial expression. While his face tried to say that he was disgusted at the sight of her, the way his blue-grey eyes were moving up and down her body in her emerald green dress, she couldn't help but feel like he was admiring her appearance.

His eyes would linger on certain parts-like her chest and her shoulders, her waist-his gaze was almost overwhelming. She has to make herself look away from him after a moment and pretend like she didn't feel the heaviness of his glare.

The crowd thins out as the music starts as couples begin to waltz. Pretty soon Eden was left standing off to the side by herself. She takes a sip of the punch she had managed to get and smiles at the sight of Hannah and Justin dancing together...well, more like tripping over each other, but they looked like they were having a very good time.

Then there was Cedric and Cho, almost looking perfect for each other. Cedric was grinning from ear to ear and Eden could tell just by the way he looked at her that he cared for her in a way that was completely different from the way he cared about Eden, and she was okay with that. She cared about Cedric deeply and seeing him being so happy made it hard to hold any grudges.

She didn't forget about the other couple in her life that was also on the dance floor, they made it difficult to forget about them. The way they waltzed flawlessly on the floor it was like they were meant to do this for the rest of their lives. Suddenly, Eden saw the rest of her life flash in front of her. She saw Draco and Clara dancing at every important party and holiday, perfectly together as they are now, fitting together so easily it was like they were made for each other. And then she saw herself, standing off to the side and watching, wondering where she went wrong.

Why was she so different from her sister? Why did she have to be the one watching them dance while she was alone? If it wasn't for the outcome of one silly sorting ceremony, if she had just been able to convince the sorting had to put her in Slytherin she would be the one dancing with Draco right now. She would be with him right now, their parents would have hushed whispers behind closed doors about her marrying him. That ring that she knew was hidden in her father's office was waiting to be placed on Clara's finger to finalize the agreement. It could have been Eden, and she would be overjoyed. She would still have her best friend, the one person that only a few years ago she thought she would have forever.

And she could love him to the full extent of herself, and he could love her back. But that just wasn't the case. There was another ring in Lucius' office, waiting to be given to Draco to further finalize the agreement. Eden didn't know when they would get the rings but she knew they existed, she had found them in her summer holidays when her father was gone and she went snooping around his office, and another time when they had been at Malfoy Manor for a weekend and she went snooping around Lucius' office as well.

As she has said before, it sometimes paid to have no one care about what you're up to.

"You came!" Eden snaps out of her rather sad thoughts as the first song is over and she finds Hannah rushing over to her, Justin behind her.

"Yeah, I realized that I didn't want to miss Justin stepping on your toes." Eden jokes, accepting Hannah's excited hug.

"Hey, she was the one stepping on my toes!" Justin defends.

"Only a little bit." Hannah blushes, causing Eden to chuckle.

"Who did you end up coming with?" Justin asks, oblivious as always. Hannah elbows him in the side and he winces, "Ah! What?" He rubs his side and Hannah gives him a harsh look that seems to make everything fall into place inside of Justin's brain, "Oh, sorry." He says to Eden shyly, "I'm still glad you came, even if it was by yourself."

"Thanks, Justin," Eden chuckles at his attempt to cover up his blunder, "I really don't mind, though, it's kind of nice just to watch everyone." She looks over her friends' shoulders and notices Cedric making his way over to them, causing her to straighten up a bit. Hannah notices this and turns to see what she's looking at.

"Uhh, come on, Justin," she loops her arm through her date's, "Lets go get us all some drinks." Despite Justin's brief protests, Hannah manages to pull him away just as Cedric approaches.

"Did I scare them off?" He chuckles.

Eden smiles at him, "No, they're going to get drinks." She tells him, "you looked great out there, by the way," she says, "I mean...you look good tonight in general." She stutters out, "I just mean that…" She's worried she's being too forward, "You clean up nice."

Cedric chuckles at her ramblings, 'Thank you, you look...incredible." He says, unknowingly making her heart skip a beat, "Look, I feel really bad about not being able to take you tonight," He starts, "So I double checked with Cho and if it's okay with your date, I would like to offer you a dance to make up for it." He offers his hand.

"Well, considering that my date is myself…" She accepts his hand, placing her fingers in his palm, "I would be delighted."

"You came alone?" Cedric seems shocked as he leads her toward the dancefloor as another slow song starts. Eden nods, "Well, I guess that's good since I would have to beat up anyone who did end up asking you." He places his hand on her waist and she puts hers on his shoulder, their other hands joining together as they begin to waltz.

"Fair warning, I did not pay attention during Professor Sprout's lessons." She tells him.

"You seem to be doing better than me already." He says, "So, I heard about what happened with Malfoy," He continues to talk as they dance, moving amongst the other couples on the floor, "Did you really slap him?"

Eden blushes, "Sort of," She sighs, "Okay, yeah I slapped him but he deserved it."

"I don't doubt that." Cedric shakes his head, "I'm just surprised you actually did it. He must have really upset you."

She swallows, remembering the words that Draco spoke to her that night. But she shakes them off, trying to live in the moment with Cedric, "It doesn't matter now." She smiles at him, "He can't very well upset me when I'm dancing with my best friend." Cedric gasps at her use of the words and she catches him instantly, "Just don't tell Hannah I said that."

The night ended up being amazing and Eden was incredibly glad she was able to talk herself into going. Despite the awkward moments when an upbeat song would turn into a slow one and she would have to make her subtle departure from the dance floor, she was having the best time. After one particularly fun song, Eden excuses herself from her friends to go get some water.

She walks over to the table where they had been keeping their stuff for the whole night, a ghost of a smile on her face as she catches her breath and reaches for the glass of water she already had on the table. But, something catches her eyes and she hesitates.

Underneath her glass, there was a napkin with all too familiar handwriting scribbled on it. Eden glances around her as if scared someone would see her pick it up. Once she feels like she's safe, she brings the note close and reads the words that make her pulse quicken.

Astronomy tower in five minutes. Come alone.

D.M.