The Unexpected Task

The Yule Ball was announced just before the last week of term, but the only one that seemed remotely happy about it was Dean. He immediately asked Katie Bell to go with him, who agreed.

The morning after it was announced, he sat himself down next to Castiel at breakfast, grinning.

'So…'

Cas looked up from his breakfast. 'So?'

'Who are you going with?'

'Going?'

'You know, to the Ball, who are you going with?'

'I'm not going.'

Dean looked aghast. 'What? Why not?'

'Gabriel and I always go home for Christmas.'

'You can't make an exception, just this once?'

'No.' Cas turned back to his breakfast, but didn't eat much more of it, instead pushing it around with his spoon so Dean would stop talking to him.

Dean rolled his eyes, but then spotted John a little further down the table.

'John, who are you going to the ball with?' he called.

'No one,' he said moodily, watching Sherlock leave the room.

'Jeez, what is everyone's problem?' Dean muttered to himself.

'Probably that you're the only one that enjoys large social gatherings,' Cas reasoned. 'It's easy for you, but not for everyone else.'

'You're right. None of you have any social skills. Especially you.'

'I resent that.'

'I wasn't asking you to like it.'

Cas got up. 'I'm going to class, which you should also be doing.'

'Nah. Who has time for class?'

Cas tutted, but didn't argue with him any further.

Over the next couple of days, most of the girls around the castle came over all giggly. Harry was asked to the Ball by a few different girls, so shocked the first time that he said no without even thinking about it.

John himself was asked to go by a fifth year Hufflepuff. He almost said yes, but then he saw Sherlock walking past, and politely declined. Instead, he steeled himself to ask Sherlock.

The opportunity arose when they were alone at lunch. Hermione had dragged Harry and Ron up to the library, Cas was helping in the hospital wing, providing potions both for calming nerves, and his own, highly effective Pepperup Potion.

Sherlock was munching on a slice of toast, staring at the wall, deep in thought.

John's palms were clenched closed and slick with sweat. 'So,' he said, in a thin attempt at a light tone. 'You have a date for the Ball yet?'

'I do,' Sherlock said.

John faltered. 'You- you do?'

'Yes. You can meet her at the Ball.'

'Oh,' John said, deflated. 'Good. Yes, I'd love to meet her. Anyway, best get going. Get down to the greenhouses- Herbology and everything.'

'Have a good lesson.'

'I- I will, Goodbye.' He tripped over his seat on his way out, and all but ran out into the courtyard. 'Stupid,' he muttered to himself. 'Of course he has a date.' He kicked at a pebble, which clattered across the cobbles, then actually made his way to the greenhouses.

He was paired with Molly again, so they could continue working on their Flutterby bushes.

'Okay, stop, you're not pruning it, you're giving it a close shave,' Molly said, holding up a hand to stop John from angrily chopping at the quivering bush.

'Sorry,' John muttered.

Molly took the pruning shears and set about repairing the damage.

John watched her for a moment. She had always been kind to him, he thought. 'Molly?'

'What? I can't make it into any shapes now, you've already cut it up too much.'

John smiled. 'That's not what I was going to say. Actually, I was going to ask if you'd like to go to the Ball with me?'

Molly dropped the shears, and they clanged loudly against the table. 'Oh,' Molly said, flustered. 'I- yeah, okay, I'll go with you.'

John grinned. 'Good.'

'Yeah. Good,' Molly said, blushing.

Later on that day, Dean had gone to collect Castiel from the hospital wing, and they were walking across the Entrance Hall together, when a hush fell. The crowd parted before them and they came to a halt as Fleur Delacour appeared.

She stopped in front of Cas and said, 'Tu veux aller au bal avec moi ?

Cas's eyebrows shot up in shock, then he shook his head. 'Je ne vais pas au bal.'

'Ah, non?'

'Eh, non.'

Her eyes travelled over to Dean. 'Et pour ton ami?'

'Il a déjà quelqu'un,' Cas told her.

'C'est dommage. Il est plutôt beau gosse, non?'

'Oui. Il a de beaux yeux.'

It was Fleur's turn to look surprised.

'What? What did he say?' Dean asked.

Fleur glanced at Cas, whose expression had turned anxious, and he shook his head slightly.

''E said zat 'e likes your date.'

Cas sighed.

'Really? You like Katie?'

'Um, yes.'

'I'll see what I can do after Christmas. You might be in with a shot, you know.'

'Great.'

Dean turned away, and Cas let his face betray his relief. 'Merci,' he mumbled to Fleur, before following Dean into the Great Hall.

The Hogwarts staff, demonstrating a continued desire to impress the students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, seemed determined to show the castle at its best at Christmas. During the final week of term, decorations more magnificent than any they had seen before appeared around the castle. Everlasting icicles hung from the marble staircase, and the twelve trees brought into the Great Hall were bedecked in every decoration imaginable, including real, golden owls that hooted as you walked past. The suits of armour had been enchanted to sing Christmas carols, but they kept forgetting the words, and Peeves the poltergeist had to be extracted from them several times, when he made up his own, rude versions of the songs to fill in the gaps.

Cas was sitting at lunch a couple of days before the end of term, admiring the Christmas trees, when Gabriel came bounding up to him.

'Guess what?' he grinned.

'What?'

'We're going to the Yule Ball.'

Cas went pale. 'What?'

'Yeah. I asked Dad and he said we could stay here for Christmas, just as long as we go back for Easter.'

Cas looked horrified. 'Why would you do that?' he demanded.

Gabriel frowned. 'I thought you would enjoy it.'

'You thought wrong.' Cas stood up, shaking. 'I'm not going.'

'But I got you dress robes.'

'Cas, come on-' Dean began.

'Shut up, Dean.'

Dean's mouth fell open.

'I'm not going.' Cas stormed out of the room.

'What the hell?' Dean said to Gabriel. 'He's never told me to shut up before.'

'Maybe you could do with being told to shut up once in a while,' Gabriel snapped. He rubbed his face, then left to try and find Cas.

By the last day of term, neither Harry or Ron had managed to find a date for the Ball, despite Harry being required to, and they moped about Gryffindor Tower.

'Just ask someone. Anyone,' Dean said exasperatedly.

'What about Hermione?' Harry said.

'She has a date,' Dean said.

'Does she? Who?' Ron asked, surprised.

'You'll see. What about Ginny? Harry could go with her.'

'She's going with Neville,' John said from the other side of the room. He was curled up in a chair under the window, looking miserable.

'What's the matter with you? You have a date,' Dean said, throwing a bit of screwed up parchment at him.

John tutted. 'I'm fine,' he insisted.

'Sure you are.' Dean dramatically threw himself down on one of the squashy sofas. 'Well, Harry can't go stag, but you sure can, Ron.'

'No way! I can't be the only one without a date.'

'Then ask someone!'

'You ask someone!'

'I already did.'

Just then, Harry got up and went over to Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, who had just walked through the portrait hole.

'Do you think he's asking them?' Dean whispered to Ron.

Ron shrugged.

They watched him, unable to make out what he was saying, but saw the girls burst into fits of giggles.

He came back to them, red in the face. 'I'm going with Parvati, you're going with her sister Padma,' he said to Ron.

'Excellent!' Ron grinned, leaning back in his seat.

'What about Cas? Who's he going with?' Harry asked, deflecting the attention away from himself.

Dean sighed. 'He says he's not going. He's apparently just going to sit in his dorm all day.'

'That's no way to spend Christmas,' John frowned.

'Try telling him that. He still wants to go home, but Gabriel won't let him.'

'Looks like you'll have to convince him.'

'Yeah, right. That guy has a stubborn streak a mile long.'

'Really?'

'Dude, he told me to shut up over it.'

'He actually told you to shut up?'

'On my life.'

John sniggered. 'He really doesn't want to go, then.'

None of them went to bed until the fire had died to embers, but Dean stayed awake long after he laid himself down, thinking of ways to cajole Cas into going to the Ball.

Welcome back everyone! Thanks to Lady among the trees, DaughterofMagic3, TsubasaKEI and Morgause Pendragon for the reviews! See you all next time!