It's time for the Yule Ball! I posted the links to the outfits on my profile, if you want to see them. I apologize if the beginning of this chapter is a bit boring, but hopefully the end will make up for it.

This chapter goes to: HarryPotterRoxMySoxForever(you are on a roll! I think I've dedicated every chapter to you since I started this. :D), KellyPNguyen, and cammistar58 for getting the trivia question right. Amazing job!

This chapter's trivia question is: What is the name of the Bulgarian Minister of Magic?

I also want to dedicate this chapter to izzi08 cause your PM made my day :)
And also to nabian8735 for being my BFFF and helping me with something that will happen later in the story! Thanks Katie :) x3

School is over in 2 weeks, and I'm going to Florida for a week the day after school ends, so after that updates will defiently be more frequent. I can probably sneak in 2 more chapters before I go away if I don't get too much homework.

Enjoy & REVIEW!

Hermione's POV

"Oh, Hermione! You look absolutely wonderful!" cried Amber as I stepped out of the bathroom.

I smiled and blushed. "Thanks Amber!"

I turned around and looked at myself in the mirror. I did look pretty good. The only problem was that I didn't have a date. I sighed and walked back out into the dormitory.

"So Patricia," said Nina. "You never told me who you were going with."

Patricia glanced at Amber and looked uncomfortable. "Uh...well...Viktor Krum."

There was a clatter as Amber dropped her hairbrush to the ground, and slowly turned to face Patricia. "You're going with WHO?"

"I'm going with Viktor Krum." said Patricia, calmly turning back to the mirror.

"Patricia! How COULD you?" screamed Amber. "It's all your fault! He would've asked me if YOU hadn't asked him-"

"Actually, he asked me." said Patricia.

"What? He doesn't even know you!"

"Yes, he does. We met when he first came, and we were getting on well, so he asked me."

"Oh, Patricia thats wonderful!" exclaimed Mara.

"No. It. ISN'T!" Amber yelled. "Now, because of her, I don't have a date! I mean I'm Amber Millington, guys should be lining up to ask me!"

"Look Amber, I don't have a date either." I said, putting my hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, well you're used to not having a date." said Amber. Ouch. Then realizing what she said, she turned to face me. "Oh, Hermione, I'm so sorry, that didn't come out right-"

"It's okay Amber. I understand." I said, sitting down on my bed. I knew she was right of course, but she didn't need to point it out like that.

"Anyway..." said Nina quickly. "Mara, you're going with Harry, right?"

Mara nodded and smiled. "Yeah. And you with Fabian?"

Nina blushed, but smiled. "Yup!"

Amber still looked mopey, so I decided to forgive her and be nice to her. "Amber, I'm sure someone will ask you to dance."

"Yeah, a loser who wasn't man enough to ask someone to the ball." Amber pouted. I rolled my eyes.

"Cheer up Amber, it's time to go!" said Nina.

We followed Nina down the dormitory steps to where Harry, Fabian and a few other guys were waiting for their dates.

Nina and Fabian smiled at each other rather shyly. I heard Harry telling Mara how great she looked. I also couldn't help but notice that Ron stood over on the other side of the common room, staring moodily at the floor.

"Ohmigosh! Hermione come here!" Amber squealed, and I hurried over to see what she wanted.

She held up a piece of paper that read: Amber Millington- My tomb is a bit dead, and I think a ball would be fun-especially with the most beautiful girl in the school. Meet me at the edge of the grounds, near the forbidden forest at midnight. -King Tut

"A king, Hermione, a king!" Amber squealed again after I finished reading it.

"Amber, I hate to burst your bubble, but King Tut died thousands of years ago." I said, handing her the note.

"Well, at least SOMEONE wants to take me to the ball...at midnight, anyway." Amber said.

"Hey Amber! Word on the street is that you don't have a date." said Alfie. "So...you want to come with me?"

"Sorry Alfie, but I actually do have a date!" said Amber, happily waving the note in the air. Alfie looked depressed. "The only bad part is that McGonagal wouldn't let me have an election for ball king and queen!"

"So, are we going or what?" Harry asked. We all agreed and headed down to the Great Hall.

The Great Hall looked magnificent, with icicles hanging from the ceiling and giant ice scuptures everywhere.

Dumbledore announced that it was time for the champions to dance. Harry walked onto the floor with Mara, Krum with Patricia, Cedric with his date, and Fleur with...Jerome?

Amber, Nina and I gaped at Fleur with Jerome. "How'd he manage that one?" I whispered to them.

"A love potion?" suggested Amber.

"Nah, he not smart enough for that..." said Nina.

"Which means...she must actually like him!" I said disgustedly. Amber gagging motions and Nina and I giggled.

The band started playing a faster paced song, and more people started to dance, including Fabian and Nina. Amber and I sat at one of the tables and talked for a while, mostly about how great Fabian and Nina were together. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ron stitting at another table by himself.

"You still like him, don't you?" Amber asked me. She must have noticed me looking.

I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. "Who?" I asked innocently.

"You know who." Amber said matter-of-factly.

I sighed and traced the pattens on the ice table with my finger, which was surprisingly warm for something made out of ice. "Yes..."

Amber smiled and got that glint in her eye that she always got whenever she was about to play matchmaker. "I knew it."

I nodded, still tracing the patterns on the table and not looking up at her.

"So, who do you reckon King Tut is?" Amber asked. I looked up, surprised that she had changed the topic and not hassled me into going over to Ron. Uh oh, she must be planning something...

"Oh, I don't know." I said nonchalantly. "Could be anyone...I'm sure half of the guys here would love to take you to the ball."

"Well then why haven't they asked me themselves?" Amber demanded.

I was saved from aswering by Mara's appearence. "Hey guys!"

"Hey! How was it?" I asked.

"Wonderful!" she said, smiling widely and sitting down next to me. "Harry's just gone to get drinks and talk to Ron for a bit."

"Cool." I said, resuming my tracing of the patterns on the table.

We sat for a while longer, chatting about who came to the ball with who until Harry came over and asked Mara to dance again.

"Hermione, we should dance too!" said Amber.

"Um, with who?" I asked.

"Just by ourselves...I'm sure someone will ask us eventually, even if its Neville." Ambe replied, making a face.

"Oh, I don't know-"

"Come on!" Amber grabbed my hand and dragged me out onto the dance floor.

It was actually really fun. No one asked me to dance, but I didn't mind because the one person I wanted to dance with was currently not speaking to me.

Around eleven-thirty, Amber disappeared and went up on stage.

"Okay guys..." she said into the microphone. "I know Professor McGonagal said we weren't going to do this, but she's not here right now so I guess we can. It's time to announce the Ball King and Queen!"

Everbody cheered. Mara and I glanced at each other with confused expressions. What was she doing?

"But...we haven't actually gotten a chance to vote, so, I get to decide." said Amber. She looked at me and winked. "The Queen...is Hermione Granger!"

Everbody cheered again. I stood there, too stunned to move. Mara gave me a little shove and I walked on to the stage. Amber twirled her wand, and a silver, sparkly tiara appeared. Sure, she can do that, but not her transfiguration homework...

Amber put the tiara on my head, and instructed me to sit in one of the seats on stage. Then she turned back to the microphone.

"And the King is...Ron Weasley!"

My eyes widened to about the size of dinner plates. Ron looked even more stunned than me. The crowd cheered, but Ron still didn't move, so Harry went over and dragged him on the stage. Amber made another crown and put it on his head, and he sat down next to me, not looking at me.

"Dance, you two!" Amber whispered to us. "Now!"

I was about to protest, but Amber looked like she would murder us if we didn't. So Ron and I stood up.

To my humiliation, the band started playing and extremely slow song. Ron took my waist, and I placed my hands on his shoulders. I could hear people whistling, and a bunch of other couples including Fabian and Nina and Harry and Mara started slow dancing too.

Ron and I swayed on the spot for a few minutes, not looking at each other. Finally, he spoke.

"Well...This is akward." said Ron, speaking to me for the first time in weeks.

"Yeah, no kidding." I said, staring at the floor.

We continued to sway silently for a few minutes. I looked out at all the other people slow dancing, and wished that Ron and I could be as happy as they were.

"Listen, Hermione," said Ron, looking me in the eye, "I'm really sorry about what I said a few weeks ago."

"You mean when I asked you to the ball, and you not only said no but insulted and humiliated me in front of the whole class?" I said.

"Yeah..." said Ron, looking uncomfortable. "I'm really sorry about that Hermione. I truly am." He sighed. "I wish I had just said yes."

My eyes widened. "You-you-you do?" I stammered.

"Yeah...I'm really sorry, I was just being a git."

"Yeah, you were." I said.

"So...can you forgive me?"

I sighed. "I don't know."

"Well, maybe I can change your mind." He leaned in and kissed me.

At that moment, I had no mind to change. My mind exploded with fireworks as soon as Ron's lips had touched mine.

After we broke apart, I realized that almost everyone in the hall was cheering, and I blushed. I looked around and saw Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins was jeering and laughing at us. I turned back to Ron and smiled; not even Malfoy could ruin this moment for me.

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