It was the most wonderful time of the year around Hogwarts. Everyone was happy and peppy and cheerful. Christmas was just around the corner and something was stirring amongst the teachers around the school. Of course not everything was good:
Harry still hasn't figured out his next task because his egg still shrieked like a banshee.
We still had to take Care of Magical Creatures even though it was only 14 degrees outside.
And the worst of them all, Gryffindor upperclassmen had been losing house points left and right and not from Snape who usually indulges himself in that. It had been from our own head of house, Proffessor McGonagall. I couldn't actually pin all the blame on her though. It was as if Gryffindor had temporarily lost their minds and been acting out of control.
It was this sudden burst of misplaced energy in my house that McGonagall had called all the upperclassmen into the Great Hall this afternoon, at least that was my guess.
We were all in the Great Hall, separated on both sides by guys and girls.
"Why do you think she wants us in here?" Hermione asked. I shrugged.
"Because Slytherin looks like a bunch angels compared to us," I suggested.
"So, did you hear about Seamus and Fleur breaking up?" Parvati asked.
"Every teen in the Wizarding World heard about that," I said.
"Do you think he'll try and get back together with you?" Emily asked.
"He can try and he can fail. Seamus Finnegan is not my problem anymore," I said.
"So you don't like him at all then?" Hermione asked.
"Of course she doesn't," Emily said. "She spends all of her time with -."
Parvati cupped a hand over Emily's mouth.
"Who?" I asked.
"No one. She's crazy," Parvati said.
Well at least they were speculating my next boyfriend without irritating me. I didn't care.
Mr. Filch rolled into the Great Hall with a giant record player and McGonagall followed him.
"Okay, I'm officially freaked out," Parvati said.
"Alright students I know you're all probably wondering why I have called you in here today," she said. "Though it should be to discipline for your recent out burst of bad behavior it is not."
There was sigh of relief over all the students. Filch chuckled at this.
"It is a tradition that on the Eve of Christmas that the hosting school hold a Yule Ball. The reason I have gathered you all here is because the Yule Ball is in fact. . . A dance."
There was up roar. All the girls freaked out like "Oh my gosh! Who are you taking?" All the boys were like "this has got to be the dumbest school tradition yet."
"Now this dance may not seem like a big deal to you but there is a ceremonial dance where all the students will have to do a traditional ballroom dance. And much like their bravery and their intellect, Gryffindor is known for their dancing as well."
"Apparently we're known for everything," Hermione said.
"Thank you for volunteering Miss Granger," McGonagall said. "Come here." Hermione got out of her seat and walked over to McGonagall.
"Every Gryffindor has talent as a dancer. Every boy is a fierce lion and every girl a delicate swan."
There came chuckles from the boys.
"Two volunteers. How very nice of you Mister Ron Weasley," McGonagall said. Ron rolled his eyes and got out his seat as well. He walked over to McGonagall as well.
Filch turned on the record player as McGonagall made Hermione and Ron faced each other.
"Mister Weasley place your hand on Hermione's waist," she said.
"Huh?" they both asked.
"Her waist Mr. Weasley," McGonagall said.
After McGonagall got them situated she started showing them how to dance.
"Awe," me and the girls let out. Then everyone laughed.
"They look so cute together," Padma said.
"I know man. It's so beautiful when friends get together," Emily said. We four laughed again.
Pretty soon McGonagall had us all dancing with someone. Padma was dancing with Neville who seemed to be dancing better than anyone else. Parvati was dancing with Dean who's feet she kept stepping on. Emily was dancing with Seamus. I was dancing with my brother who was probably the worst dancer in the room.
"Dude, how do you play as a seeker in Quidditch and have horrible hand eye coordination?" I asked as he stepped on my foot.
"I wear glasses," he said.
"So did Dad but he got an award for playing Quidditch," I said.
"What's that have to do with me?" he asked.
"I bet he could dance," I said.
"I bet he couldn't," he said stepping on my foot. "And that was on purpose."
"Jerk," I said. McGonagall came over to us and stopped us from dancing.
"Emily could you switch with Hannah," she said.
Harry and exchanged glances. Emily was dancing with Seamus.
"We're doing fine Professor," Harry said.
"Hannah is doing fine and so is Mister Finnegan. You and Emily both need to work your way up the ladder to being able to not kill someone when you're dancing," she said.
I crossed over to Seamus.
"Hello Hannah," he said. I flashed him a smiled and took his hand.
The two of us started to dance in silence, not looking at each other.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"So am I," I said.
"Seriously Hannah. It was really stupid what I did to you. Especially since Fleur was just-."
"Using you because Roger Davies was a good buddy of yours? Yeah. It was really stupid Seamus," I said.
"I still like you," he confessed. "And I don't want you to hate me Hannah."
"I don't hate you Seamus," I said. "It'd be nice if we could be friends the way we were before all of this."
"But it can't be that way anymore," Seamus said. "You used to always talk to me, now you only talk to him. . ."
"Talk to who? Ron? He's my best friend," I said.
"No. Not Ron. Malfoy. You've replaced me with him," Seamus said.
"I didn't replace you. Draco's just my friend," I said. Padma bumped into me.
"Sorry. Neville's great but I suck at dancing apparently," Padma said. Padma leaned over and whispered to me. "You okay?" I nodded.
"Just because I'm hanging out with someone doesn't mean I'm replacing you with them," I said.
"You used to talk to me like that," Seamus said.
"That was before you became a lying, cheating, asshole," I said. "We can be friends. We'll just never be as close as we used to be."
"Thank you students. You all. . . almost looked wonderful," McGonagall said loosely. "Especially you Neville and Padma. That was excellent. You're both naturals. . . Harry and Emily. . . Seek help from them. You are all dismissed."
Everyone began to pile out of the Great Hall into the main hallway and go up stairs. Hermione and Ron walked over to Seamus and me and pulled me away.
"Can you believe the nerve of McGonagall, pairing us up like that?" Ron asked.
"I know. It's absurd to pair up the two students who weren't listening together," I replied sarcastically.
"She's right Ronald. We're at fault. Besides, look who Hannah was paired up with after Harry almost stomped her to death," Hermione said.
"I wasn't that bad," Harry coming up behind us.
"No. . . You were," I said.
"Well Hannah, who are you going to the Yule ball with?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know. What about you?" I replied.
"I don't know either," Hermione said. "Harry, Ron, who do you want to take?"
"Cho," Harry said.
"Fleur," Ron said.
"You two want to take those two? Are you serious?" I asked.
"And you're really going to try to ask out Fleur after what she did to Hannah?" Hermione asked.
"Well. . . yeah," Ron replied. Hermione rolled her eyes in frustration.
"Well, Hannah, you have a lot of guy friends so you should have no problem getting a date," Hermione said.
"And Hermione, you'll have no trouble either," the Patil twins and Emily said. They all crowded around Harry.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Shh. . . Duck down. The lions are on the hunt," Parvati said.
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked.
"Hermione, Ron, Hannah, get in front of Harry," Padma said. We did as they instructed. "Harry, duck down." Harry rolled his eyes and ducked as a swarm of girls looking for him to ask him out showed up. Emily directed them away and they ran off.
Harry stood back up.
"Oh. . . Thanks," he said.
"You had to be so damn popular," Emily said. "Now we have to be your secret service like the Muggle's U.S. President."
"Well thanks a lot you guys," Harry said. "We'll just head up-."
"To your dorm? Bad idea. They'll be waiting for you there. You'd better hide out in the bathroom or something. Hogwarts isn't safe for you right now," Parvati said.
"Wow. I'm having flashbacks of when they were trying to keep Sirius Black from killing me last year," Harry said.
"But now an even more vicious creature is hunting you. . . Chicks," Ron said. "They're cunning and quick so you have to watch out."
"Ron. . . You're girl illiterate," Emily said.
"Girl illiterate?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. He does not know anything about girls," Emily said.
"Alright," Hermione said.
A week later, not much had changed. Everyone was still searching around for dates and we sat in the Great Hall taking exams.
"Really, it's impossible to talk to her with all her friends around. I haven't got to ask her out yet," Harry said. "I almost did but I think I threw up in my mouth a little."
"Ewe," Hermione said.
"You like her so much she makes you sick," I said.
"At this rate we'll be the only one's besides Neville who don't have a date," Ron said.
"Neville has a date," Emily who was sitting next to me said.
"Are you serious?" Ron asked.
I leaned up and looked down the table to Neville. I called down to him softly. He looked up at me.
"Who are you taking?" I asked.
"Ginny," he said.
"Wow Ron. Ginny wasn't even invited and she got a date before you," I said.
"For the sake of your test Potter, you'd better be finished," Snape said. I sat down and turned around to him.
"It's potions test. Of course I am," I said. I handed him my notebook and he walked away.
A piece of paper flew down the table and hit Ron in the head. We looked down the table at the Weasley twins. George motioned for him to open the paper.
You'd better hurry up before all the good ones are taken...
Ron threw the paper back.
"And who are you going with?" he asked. George took the paper and threw it at Angelina. She looked up at him annoyed. He pointed to her, himself and then danced in his seat. Angelina smiled and then gave him a thumbs up. He looked over at Ron. "What about Fred?"
"Hannah, get Emily," he said. I tapped Emily and point down to Fred. She saw him and smiled. Fred winked at her and she blew him a kiss. Fred caught the kiss in the air, held it to his heart and then put it his pocket. I rolled my eyes.
"Well good for you Emily," Ron said sarcastically.
"Hey, you be nice to your sister," Hermione joked.
"Well Hermione, it's one thing for a bloke to go alone, but if you go alone you'll look like a loser," Ron said. Hermione glared at him.
"Well actually, someone's already asked me," she said angrily. She got out her seat and took her notebook to Snape. She marched back and grabbed me
"I guess I'm leaving now," I said.
"And F.Y.I Ron, I said yes," Hermione said. She dragged you out the Great Hall and up to the library.
"Can you believe his nerve? To insinuate that I didn't have a date," she ranted.
"Well he's your best friend, like me, and you usually tell us this stuff, but since you didn't, he said it and like we said before, Ron is girl illiterate," I said. "So who are you going with?"
"It's a surprise," Hermione said.
"What's a surprise?" a voice asked. I looked up to see Victor towering over Hermione.
"Viktor. Hello," she said.
"I'd stay and chat but I have to go meet Karkaroff so I'll see you later," he said. He leaned down and kissed Hermione. "And I'll see you after dinner." Hermione smiled and Viktor walked away.
"Surprise," she said.
"No. . . Freaking way. When did this happen?" I asked.
"The day McGonagall told us about the ball. He just asked me," she said.
"I'm so happy for you," I said.
She smiled. "So, who will you be going with then?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not sure that I even want to go."
"Why not?" Hermione asked.
"It's just a dance. We'll have plenty of them," I said.
Hermione frowned at me. "If you really feel that way. . ."