It was a week before the Yule Ball and I was sitting the library alone, looking over some last minute notes before the transfiguration test I had tomorrow.
"This seat taken?" someone asked. I looked up to see my buddy Draco.
"Not until you sit in it," I said. He sat down and smiled at me. "What's up?"
"Nothing. . . I just wanted to ask you something," he said.
"What?" I asked.
"The Yule Ball is in a week," he said.
"So it is," I said.
". . . Are you going?" he asked.
". . . I don't think so," I said.
"Oh. . ." Draco said. Apparently he hadn't expected that answer.
"Are you?" I asked. He nodded. "With whom?"
"Pansy, I guess," he said.
"Why Pansy?" I asked.
He shrugged. "The girl I wanted to go with isn't. . . Well she's not going with me at least."
"Well she's an idiot," I said. "Any girl would be lucky to go with you."
"Why aren't you going?" he asked.
"I'm not really into the whole thing," I said. "Especially finding a date. It's just too much work. It's stupid."
"What if someone asked you?" Draco asked.
"Half the guys in the school have asked me and I wouldn't go with any of them," I said.
"Well what if someone you actually liked asked you?" he asked.
". . . The guy I like is going with someone else," I said.
"So. . . So you do like someone else," he said.
"Not Seamus," I said. "Definitely not Seamus. But yeah I do, and they're not asking me since they're taking someone else, so I'm not going."
Draco sighed. "If you really feel that way."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.
"Nothing," he said. "I'm going to the Yule Ball. I won't see you there."
Draco got up and walked away. I sighed as he walked away.
The guy I liked was going with someone else, and Pansy Parkinson of all people.
Seamus had been right about Draco. I did like him. I didn't like him so much that it drove me crazy, but I liked him just enough or to make me insanely jealous that he liked some other girl, and that whoever she was, she was stupid enough to turn him down.
It was completely unacceptable for me to go out with Draco. I was Hannah Potter. My brother was his mortal enemy and rival. I was in Gryffindor and he was in Slytherin. I t would never work.
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I walked into the common room to find everyone gathered around Ron. I walked over to see what this was about.
"Are you okay?" Hermione asked. He just sat there and stared into space. "Please say something." Ron was silent.
"What happened Mate?" George asked.
"He asked out Fleur Delacour," Hermione said. Everyone oohed, feeling Ron's pain.
"When we said get someone before all the good ones were gone we didn't mean Fleur," Fred said.
"When did he do it?" Ginny asked.
"About five minutes ago in the hallway when she was with all her friends," Harry said. Ginny cringed.
"Stupid boy," she said. "What were you doing?"
"It was stupid. I just walked up to her and all her friends were around and I asked her," Ron went on and on.
Parvati came skipping in. She came over to us.
"Hi guys," she said.
"Hey Parvati," Harry and I said together. We exchanged glances. "That was weird. . . Stop that. . . Quit it. . . Shut up. . . Seeker, chaser, beater, keeper," we said together again.
"Okay... That was weird," Hermione said.
Then we just stopped talking.
"Anyway, what's happened to Ron?" Parvati asked.
"He asked Fleur out," Hermione said.
"Oh. . . Poor baby," she said sympathetically. Then I was stricken with an idea.
"Hey Parvati, can we talk over here," I said. They walked and I followed them to the fire place.
"What's up?" Parvati asked.
"How would you like to go to the dance with Harry?" I asked.
"Oh of course," Parvati said. "And I bet dear old Padma would love to go with Ron."
"Why?" I asked.
"She says he's adorable. Like a ginger teddy bear or something," Parvati said. "But it's cool. I get the hot boy."
"The uncoordinated hot boy," I put in.
"Who cares. . . Maybe I can take this relationship further than the dance. Maybe, just maybe we could hook up," Parvati said.
"Wait a second, you like Harry?" I asked.
"Who hasn't has a crush on Harry?" Parvati asked. I raised my hand. "You don't count." Parvati walked over to Harry and smiled at him.
"Hi Harry," she said patting his head.
"Hi. . . Parvati," he said confused. "What's up?"
"Nothing but the ceiling," she said. "Anyway, about the dance tomorrow, you going?"
"I kind of have too, being champion and all. What about you?" Harry asked.
"Probably not. I don't have a date," she said twisting her fingers in his hair.
"Well. . . I'll take you," Harry said.
"Oh, Harry you will? Thank you so much. But, my poor sister doesn't have a date and I can't bear to leave her here all alone. . ."
"Well Ron doesn't have a date. If she doesn't mind going with him I could put them together," Harry said.
"Oh how noble of you. To help your friend and my sister at the same time," Parvati said. Harry blushed.
"Thanks," he said. She smiled and walked back over to me.
"You're brother's a pudding," she said.
"No he's not. He's just a sucker for the cute girls," I said.