Chapter 8
Dancing and Dates

Winter had finally come to Hogwarts. A blanket of glistening white snow lay over the castle and its grounds like frosting on a cake. Enormous icicles dangled threateningly from the tops of the turrets. The bare branches of the trees drooped against the weight of the icy precipitation; all except the Whomping Willow, which had a nasty habit of flinging any snow that dared settle among its branches. Students walking by the infamous tree were often taken by surprise as a violent shower of snow was whipped at them, stinging any exposed skin.

Since the beginning of December, classes had taken a monotonous turn for the worse. Classes were grueling and the teachers were pounding information into their heads for mid-year exams. Each and every student was longing for the term to end and the Christmas holiday to begin. The anticipation for the holiday was only enhanced after the announcement made in classes that afternoon.

Sophie had only been half paying attention to the lesson and was doodling on the corner of her parchment. Charms had been exceptionally boring as Professor Flitwick decided to lecture on the history of the Conjuctivitus Curse rather than allow them time for practicing spells.

"Alright class, you may put away your books and quills," squeaked the tiny professor from his perch on top of his desk. Everyone was aroused from their stupor and the air was filled with sound of thirty students ruffling parchment and slamming books shut. "Please remain seated for a few moments longer; I have an announcement to make."

When the class settled back down, all eyes and ears were drawn at attention for what was to come.

Professor Flitwick grinned enthusiastically before launching into the announcement. "A traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament is the Yule Ball. It is scheduled for eight o'clock in the evening on Christmas Day and will take place in the Great Hall." A rush of whispers penetrated the silence as students looked excitedly at one another. "The Ball is open to students in their fourth year and above. You may, however, invite a younger student to accompany you if you wish. This should be a wonderful night and a grand opportunity to socialize with our guests and with one another. Now, you are free to go."

A burst of chatter erupted as students left the Charms classroom. With the announcement of the Ball, Sophie could only think of one thing: she would not be getting much sleep that night. The girls in her dormitory were going to have kittens over it. As she shoved the pile of parchment into her bag, she gave Cedric a sideways glance.

"What do you make of this Yule Ball?"

Cedric gave no vocal reply; he just shrugged as he slung his bag over his shoulder. They were turning to leave when Professor Flitwick caught sight of them and called out,

"Mr. Diggory, could I speak with you a moment before you leave?"

Sophie waited in the hallway while Cedric talked with Flitwick, assuming that it had something to do with their homework assignment from the night before. He wasn't detained long, but when he emerged from the room, Cedric looked as if he had been slapped in the face. She waited for an explanation, but there was nothing forth coming because all he seemed able to do stare distantly at the opposite wall. Unable to stand the silence any longer, Sophie grabbed him by the shoulder and gave him a shake.

"Cedric! What's wrong? What did Flitwick have to say?"

His gaze slowly turned on her. Wide-eyed, he swallowed a few times to regain the ability to speak. "We have to dance at the Yule Ball."

Sophie laughed and replied sarcastically, "You're joking? Dancing at a ball? Who thinks of such things?"

Cedric failed to see the humor. He was too wrapped up in his own thoughts. "No, Soph, the champions – we're opening the ball with a dance. I really don't fancy dancing in front of everyone. I'll look like a complete idiot."

It took some well-considered words to convince Cedric that he wasn't doomed by the whole dancing situation. Sophie reassured him that other champions were not professional ballroom dancers either, and that she certainly would not let him make a fool of himself in front of the entire school. He didn't look convinced, but at least some of the shocked seemed to have worn off.

Sophie never thought a little dancing would be the one thing to challenge him.

There was a loud commotion coming from the Ravenclaw sixth year girls' dormitory. Sophie could hear it long before she had approached the door. As let herself inside, she found the source of the noise – three girls all gathered onto one bed, giggling and gossiping about the latest and greatest Hogwarts news. Janna leapt off the bed when she noticed Sophie coming in.

"Ooh, did you hear about the Yule Ball?" Janna squealed, eyes shining with sheer delight.

Sophie nodded. "Well, of course I did. Flitwick made the announcement in our class."

"Isn't it so exciting? Our very own ball!" Janna swooned and fell onto her bed.

"We were just talking about it," Coralia added with a grin. "It's exciting, but it'll get ugly really fast – especially with trying to find a date."

Sophie raised her eyebrows and nodded her agreement. She hadn't really considered the idea of having a date since her focus had been on Cedric's dilemma about dancing. It was likely to get out of hand very quickly, because it was likely that not everyone would get to go with the person they wanted to.

"So, Sophie," Coralia said, egging her on. "Is there anyone you're dying to go with?"

The other girls turned and looked at her with an abundance of curiosity, waiting to hear who she wanted to stake a claim on. Aaralyn was nodding her head encouragingly. Sophie groaned inwardly; this wasn't exactly what she wanted to discuss right now, but her audience was waiting. She figured she would turn the tables on them.

"Who are you lot dying to go with?" she asked, smirking. "Come on, now. I'm only sharing after I've heard yours." She eyeballed her best friend. "Aaralyn?"

Aaralyn blushed furiously and averted her eyes toward the floor. "I suppose I'd like to go with Merek."

Not a bad choice, Sophie thought, sitting down on the bed opposite the group and smiling her approval at Aaralyn. She pondered the question herself: who would she want to go with. A clear image appeared in her mind, causing her blood to rush hot – Cedric. It was an obvious choice, but she wasn't quite ready to announce that publicly. "How about you, Coralia?"

"Devlin Winters from Hufflepuff," she said quickly. Janna poked her in the ribs playfully and Coralia turned pink, embarrassed by her declaration. The others giggled while she said, "Well, Sophie, it's your turn. Who is it?"

Sophie stared back at the three pairs of eyes watching her and waiting. She racked her brain for a name, any name except Cedric's, but nothing struck her. He was the only one that remotely made sense.

"We shared ours, Sophie!" Aaralyn remarked pointedly.

Sophie rolled her eyes and sighed, saying the first name that popped into her head. "Fine – it's Torin."

Aaralyn's eyebrows rose skeptically; Coralia smiled whimsically, satisfied by her response, but Janna, on the other hand, scrunched her face up angrily and glared across the room. Sophie pursed her lips and stared at the upset expression being dealt to her; she wasn't in the mood for Janna's nonsense.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Well, we can't both go with Torin, can we?" she said, pouting grumpily.

"Oh, come off it, Jan. There is no need to get upset. We're just having a little fun, besides weren't you just saying we had plenty of options out there." Aaralyn retorted with a smirk.

Janna sighed, her expression lightening. "I suppose it just took me by surprise is all. I thought for sure you'd say Cedric. Honestly, if I would just about die if Cedric asked me to go to the ball."

"The day Cedric Diggory asks you to the ball is the day I marry Viktor Krum," Aaralyn replied sharply. She shot a look over at Sophie, who was working hard to keep her emotions in check.

"Well, I'm just saying that if Cedric isn't Sophie's first choice than I wouldn't mind having a go with him." Janna shrugged, pulling out her Potions book.

Sophie was incensed by Janna's comment, but held her tongue. She knew very well that Janna would be one of the last people Cedric would ask to the ball. Upon further consideration, however, Sophie couldn't help but wonder who was at the top of his list. Her heart sank ever so slightly as she considered his options. It was highly unlikely that Cedric would ever consider her; they had known each other for far too long and he had a plethora of other girls throwing themselves at him. There was a miniscule glimmer of hope that he might, however, want to take her.

"Look, I didn't want to bring it up in front of Janna, but you'd much rather go with Cedric than with Torin, right?" Aaralyn asked, glancing up and down the deserted rows of books.

Sophie ran her fingers along the books' spines, searching for the right subject. "I don't know, really. I mean, I don't have any particular feelings towards Torin – I only said it to shut you all up."

"I figured," Aaralyn replied, pulling a skinny red leather book from the shelf. "Janna's reaction was priceless though. She had mentioned him before you arrived, which made it all the more entertaining."

"And you'd really like to go with Merek?" Sophie inquired, throwing a look at her friend over her shoulder. Aaralyn blushed.

"Yeah, I would."

Sophie smiled. She liked the idea of the two of them together. "Honestly, I wouldn't mind going with Cedric. I'm just not so sure he'd want to go with me."

Aaralyn shrugged. "I suppose we will just have to wait and see what happens."