Hello children! I'm back! Thanks to all of you who reviewed the last chapter! It gave me some good ideas as to what I want to happen. And, on that note, here is the new chapter! ENJOY!

Apparently all the gang of Harry Potter needed to reconcile was a life threatening situation involving a dragon. Typical, huh?

Since Harry had fabulously defeated his dragon, the four friends had all made up and Harry now had the entirety of the Gryffindor house as his fan club, along with some students from other houses too.

However, they now had a new challenge facing them--the Yule Ball. Back when the Triwizard Tournament was held annually, it also came with the Yule ball which was held on Christmas night for the champions and other students of the school. And now that it was back, Hogwarts was buzzing. Students in fourth year and above were permitted to attend, but students third and below could go if asked by an older student. Almost everyone had signed up to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas, including Harry, Arra, Ron and Hermione.

"Who are you thinking of asking?" Hermione asked Arra as they sat in the courtyard, watching people walk and interact, secretly scouting for boys.

Arra rolled her eyes, "Hermione, we are girls. We're not supposed to ask boys to anything. It makes them feel like wimpy gits."

Hermione frowned, "Well that's stupid. What if no one asks me?"

Arra patted her shoulder, "Relax. You're going to get a fabulous date, I know it. Those two, however," Arra pointed at Ron and Harry, who were standing at the other end of the courtyard, staring nervously at a pack of Beauxbatons girls who were far out of their league, "I'm not so sure about."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "Well what about you? Who do you think will ask you?"

"Well Seamus, Dean, and Marcus Belby from Ravenclaw already asked me, but I said no." Arra said, turning to look at Hermione, who was staring at her open-mouthed. "What?!" Arra asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Jeez, Arra. Only you would turn down three dates to the ball without a second thought."

Arra sighed, "I'm not trying to be shallow, I'm just…waiting for the right guy to ask me."

Hermione smirked, "You mean Harry?"

Arra wrinkled her nose, "No…Maybe…I don't know. I mean, we agreed that we would keep our relationship purely platonic, but lately we've been spending so much time together and it feels like we're back in third year, both secretly liking each other but too afraid to tell the other."

"Well then just ask him. Harry already knows that you're assertive so I don't think he'll feel like a 'wimpy git' if a girl asks him. Especially you. Any guy would be stupid to turn you down." Hermione said.

Arra nodded, "Good point. I am pretty awesome." She joked. "But really, I don't want to ask him and make him think that I want to have something more when he doesn't. Since I was the one hung up on him, if I ask him, it may come across as desperate. So I suppose I'll just wait for him to ask me, and if he doesn't, I'll just accept the next invitation I get." She smiled confidently.

Hermione frowned, "How are you so sure that you'll be asked again?"

Arra nodded. "Just give it a minute." She said, scanning the courtyard with her eyes. "Ah! Here we go. Three…Two…One…"

"What?" Hermione asked, but was cut off by a figure leaning over the back of the bench so that it was directly in Arra's face.

"Arra, you look absolutely ravishing today." It said in a manly gruff voice.

"No, Zabini." Arra said without looking at him.

He frowned, "But I haven't even asked you yet!"

Arra sighed. "Fine. Ask away."

He smirked, "Will you go to the Ball with--"

"No." Arra said, shaking her head sternly.

He gave her a cold look and walked away slowly. Once he left, Arra turned to Hermione, who was staring at her with disbelief. "How the bloody hell do you do that?"

"What? Turn people down? Easy. Zabini is a creep."

Hermione shook her head. "No. I mean get boys to ask you out and stuff. And talk to them normally without accidentally roaming onto the topic of our latest Transfiguration Exam?"

Arra smiled, "You mean flirt?"

Hermione considered the word, "Yes, I suppose that's what I mean."

"Hermione, why would you want to be like me? I'm a horrible person." She laughed.

Hermione shrugged, "Because I don't want to go to the dance alone." She said a little bit sadly, looking down at her feet.

Arra rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up Hermione! Don't you realize that some guys like smart girls? All the good guys like smart, beautiful girls like you. Only creeps, idiots and perverts fancy girls like me." She laughed at her own expense. "Don't you ever change yourself to be something you're not. In fact," She craned her neck to look around the courtyard, "It seems as if you have an admirer." She motioned to a boy sitting on a bench opposite them, who was stealing glances at the two girls.

Hermione scoffed, "Oh right, like Viktor Krum is looking at me? We both know he's staring at you."

Arra smirked, "Not for long." And she jumped up from the bench, leaving her best friend there alone. Arra turned back to look at Viktor, who was still looking at Hermione. Shyly, Hermione gave him a small wave, which he returned.

Arra decided to walk out of the castle and down to the lake, where she found a good friend sitting under a tree.

"Hey ferret." She said, sliding down next to Draco. "Why the long face?" She asked, noticing his solemn look.

He sighed. "Father. And mother as well. They've been acting strangely lately. Having meetings with people from the old days." He said, both of them knowing the term 'old days' meant the dark days.

Arra nodded. She remembered her times of living with Bellatrix and how old Death Eaters were always coming and going, speaking in hushed whispers. But eventually it died down when they all accepted Volemort's passing.

"Do you have any idea why?" Arra asked.

He shook his head. "No."

"Have they seen Wormtail?" She tried to ask casually, always on the lookout for the man responsible for her father's imprisonment.

Draco looked at her. "No. If they did, I would tell you."

The relationship between Arra and Draco always became a little rocky when they spoke of these subjects. Since Arra used to believe them, but had since changed her ways, she usually kept her opinions to herself when talking to Draco, as his family still believed, and therefore he did too.

She nodded slowly. "Well if you need to talk, I'm here."

He smiled, "Thanks."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes before Draco finally spoke up. "So what do you think about this whole Yule Ball thing?"

Arra shrugged, "Eh. I don't know. I'm not even sure if I'll go yet. You?"

"Well Pansy already asked me. Quite desperately I might add. There were poems." He smirked at Pansy's expense.

In mock romanticism, Arra wistfully asked, "Oh, recite one to me!"

He cleared his throat, playing along with Arra's game:

"Oh Draco, your eyes so gray,

I have something I wish to say,

The Yule ball comes, ever so fast

I need a date-- a love to last!

Won't you be mine, oh Draco, my Draco!

Our love would be true, and not…fake-o"

Arra laughed so heartily that tears began to form in her eyes, "Oh my God! Did she really say that?!"

Draco nodded, joining her in the laughter, "Yes. The last bit was my favorite." He said nostalgically, thinking of the humorous experience.

"Oh I really hope you said yes." Arra said.

Draco looked at her with shock. "Of course I didn't!"

Arra looked downright disappointed, "Oh come on! I wanted her to have an excuse to right you more poems!" She laughed again, and Draco playfully hit her on the arm. "Maybe even a song! Oh, you could dance to it at your wedding!" Arra said sweetly as the idea popped into her head.

"I hate you so much." Draco said with malice.

Arra shrugged, "That's ok. I don't need you. I've got half the guys in Hogwarts lined up to be with me." She said conceitedly.

He smirked. "So how many hearts have you broken since this Yule ball business started?"

"Four." She said as if it were an achievement. "I'm winning so far."

"Ah, but did any of your potential dates come with a poem?" Draco pointed out.

Arra snapped her fingers, swinging her bent arm down in front of her torso in mock anger and disappointment. "Darn! I suppose Pansy's can count for two then."

"So who asked you?"

Arra counted them off on her fingers, "Seamus, Dean, Marcus and Zabini."

"Potter didn't ask you?" He tried to ask casually.

"No." She said in a warning tone, as if to signal him not to push the subject. Thankfully, he didn't, but Arra couldn't help but notice a satisfied smirk on his face for the rest of their time together.

***

In another part of the castle, Ron and Harry were sitting in the common room, each telling their experiences of the day.

"You shouted at her?" Harry asked incredulously after Ron finished his story of how he had asked Fleur Delacour to the ball. They had each agreed to find dates by the end of the day. So far, they weren't having any luck.

Ron nodded slowly, his embarrassed face in his hands. "I don't know what came over me. I just saw her there, and I thought to myself 'Don't even think about it Ron, don't ask her' and then I just shouted it."

Harry gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry mate. But I'm in the same boat as you--I don't have a date either."

Ron looked up, "You asked Arra then?" He asked a bit hopefully.

"Er, no. Not exactly. I asked Cho." He said nervously.

Ron raised his eyebrows, "Well then it's a good thing she said no. Arra would kill you."

Now it was Harry's turn to bury his face in his hands, "I know. And I didn't mean to ask her, really. It's like what happened with you and Fleur!" He pointed out.

Ron scowled, "Did you shout at her in front of Hogwarts?"

Harry bit his lip, "No. I asked her up at the owlery. But I meant to just say 'Hi Cho.' Instead, I said 'Will you go to the ball with me?'"

The scowl was still on Ron's face, "That was not like me and Fleur."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Harry tried to hide a smile.

Ron rolled his eyes, "You should just ask Arra. You know she would say yes, and you only have like 10 days left to get a date. And we both know you still like her."

"I know, I know. But I don't want her to take it the wrong way or anything. And I'm still really confused about everything. I do still like her, but I also like Cho. And I really don't think it's fair that she's allowed to be mad at me for it! Last year she did the same thing with me and Malfoy! She's still doing it!" He raised his voice a bit for the last bit.

Ron sighed, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, the tales and woes of Harry Potter! But really," he leaned forward in his chair and lowered his voice, "Hermione already told me that Arra has turned down four dates. And Hermione saw Arra with Malfoy earlier down by the lake and asked her later if she was going with him. Arra said no." He smiled mischievously and sat back in his chair again, "It seems to me as if she's waiting for a specific invitation, from a specific Hogwart's Champion." Harry opened his mouth to say something but Ron cut him off, "And no I don't mean Cedric."

Harry considered this, "Really? So what? Does that mean that she like picked me over Malfoy or something?"

Ron shrugged, "I don't know. Seems like it. Or wouldn't she have said yes to Malfoy?"

"But we don't know if Malfoy even asked her yet. Hermione just said that she saw them together. They may have just been hanging out. He may be waiting to ask her or something." Harry pointed out.

"Well then you'd better get a move on then and ask her."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I think I will. I mean, maybe she really has chosen me, and we can move past this whole thing."

Ron clapped his hands together, "Right, good, taken care of. Now", he changed the subject, "What are we going to do about my dating predicament?"

Harry raised his eyebrows, "Predicament? That's a rather large word for you to use." He said it like a degrading kindergarten teacher to a child who just learned their ABC's.

Ron glared, "That's how Hermione described it."

"Ah, there you go. Just ask Hermione." Harry said it, sitting back in his chair as if it were the most obvious solution.

"I did."

Harry waited for more, "And…?"

"She said no."

At this, Harry couldn't help himself and he began to laugh.

"Shut up you git!" Ron chucked a pillow at him.

"I'm sorry!" Harry said between laughs, "But why did she turn you down?"

"She said someone already asked her." He said with a shrug.

Harry frowned, "Who?"

Ron sighed, "She wouldn't say. Which obviously means that nobody asked her."

Harry looked confused, but let it slide, as he often did when it came to subjects about Ron and Hermione.

Speaking of potential dates, just at that moment, Arra and Hermione walked into the common room. Upon seeing Arra, Harry jumped up from his seat, "Arra, I was wondering if I could talk to you." He said, walking over to her.

She nodded, "Sure, come on." And she led him over to a corner of the common room, as Ron and Hermione had began arguing over Hermione's 'mystery date' who Arra actually knew was Viktor Krum.

They sat down at a table, "What's up?" Arra asked him.

He attempted to approach the topic sneakily, "So has anyone asked you to the ball yet?"

Arra felt her heart flutter at what she thought he might ask, "Yes, but I turned them down."

Harry made a surprised face, "Why?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. I just didn't really want to go with any of them."

"Oh," He took a deep breath, "Well would you consider going with me?" He asked slowly.

Arra's heart was fluttering so fast now she was sure it was going to fly out of the top of her head any second. But she kept her cool, "Why are you asking me? The Great Harry Potter couldn't get a date?" She asked.

"I didn't ask anyone yet." He lied, but Arra didn't know it. "I just know that I would rather go with you than anyone else." He said truthfully.

A blush flooded Arra's cheeks, and she turned her head slightly to hide it. "I'd rather go with you too."

"Great!" Harry said, jumping up from his seat a little to excitedly, but immediately calmed down when Arra chuckled. "I'll see you later then." He gave her one last genuine smile before heading up the stairs to the boys dormitories.

As soon as she heard the click of the shutting door behind him, Arra leapt from her seat and let out a whoop of elation, pumping her fist in the air, and not caring who gave her a dirty look. Hermione hurried over to join the excitement.

"What?" She asked.

Arra, in response, suddenly pulled Hermione into a ballroom style dance, all the while singing, "Guess who's going to the Yule Ball with Harry Potter?" Hermione laughed with happiness at her best friend's new found date.

"Oh this is so great!" Arra said, when they stopped spinning around, "Now we both have dates!"

Hermione nodded, "Yes, everything is happy for all of us!"

Arra frowned, "What about Ron?"

Hermione scowled, "Eh, he doesn't matter."

Arra laughed, "Maybe we should help him find a date." As they looked over at the sulking red head who was sitting on the couch.

Hermione contemplated this, "Yeah…Or we could just sit back and do nothing."

Arra sat back down and put her feet up on a chair, "Yeah, your plan sounds easier. After all," she took a licorice wand from a nearby first year and began to eat it, "I am extremely lazy."

Yay! A happy chapter! :) I'm actually pretty pleased with how this turned out, and I hope you all enjoyed it! Be sure to review and you will recieve tortilla chips with freshly homemade salsa! (I'm eating some right now--It's SO GOOD!!!)