All anyone could talk about was the stupid Yule Ball. Who was going with whom? What they were going to wear? And the stupid giggling. GIGGLING! And not from just the Hufflepuff girls either. Our very own Slytherin sisters were doing it. It was just nauseating.

Pansy was the worst. She was telling everyone who would sit still that of course she and Draco would be going together, it was only expected, after all their families were old, old friends. Why she wouldn't be surprised if things between them started getting very serious soon.

No one had yet asked me to the Ball. Blaise was going with Daphne, Theo was going with Tracey. So those two were out. I know that Justin was not going with Charlotte, they had just broke up so I guess if nothing else he and I would go together. We talked about it once if neither of us had a date to some function we would go with each other. It worked out really well since we were just friends.

Still, it felt rotten to have no one else ask me. And that Draco had apparently asked Pansy. I had almost thought… but I guess that was just stupid of me. I ruthlessly stomped down any thoughts about me and my best friend.

When Blaise dared ask me who I was going with I threatened to hit him.

"Literally, one more word Zabini and I will punch you in the arm."

"Whoa there, Cass, touchy subject?" He had the gall to grin at me.

"No, stupid subject." And it was. Who cares who any of us go with, we aren't the stars of the show.

"What's the matter, can't dance? I can teach you." He grabbed me and twirled me around the common room.

We had a music player set up in our common room to practice the dance steps we were being taught, but I had lessons from the time I was small. One of my nannies was a classically trained dancer.

"I can dance just fine Blaise." I said proving it by letting him guide me around the room "Even if you people do dance like my grandparents."

"Ouch, rude!" He clutched his chest dramatically making me laugh "I suppose you Yanks do it better?"

I grinned and waved my wand over the music player turning on some salsa player. "Try to keep up Zabini!"

After I showed them a few moves they stopped laughing, salsa is a pretty sexy dance if you do it right.

"Alright Cass, you win, teach me to do that and I will have the ladies eating out of my hands." He grinned waggling his fingers for me to take hold.

I spent the next hour teaching Blaise and then Theo who showed up about half an hour in to my lesson with Blaise how to salsa. We were really having a good time. It felt good to just dance and not think about stupid questions like who was going with whom. And why Draco asked that stuck up bitch to the Ball. Except maybe the stories about her sleeping around. Maybe that was what he wanted afterwards.

Draco walked in leaning against the door. He had an unreadable look on his face. I had not noticed him at first I was too intent on teaching Theo to twirl and dip while moving his hips just so. Suddenly without warning Theo let go of me and I almost fell on my rear end.

"HEY!" I laughed, "I do not remember teaching you that move."

"Umm, just show me from over there." He was being weird, but whatever. Salsa is a dance you can do on your own as well.

They continued following my moves and soon we were exhausted. Draco stood in the door way watching us the whole time.

When we had finished and both boys had learned the steps to my satisfaction we collapsed like a pile of puppies on the floors. Blaise laughing said "OK, you are right, that DOES beat the waltz!"

"Told you!"

"You gonna teach that to Justin?" joked Theo.

"I told you, Justin is just my friend" I said taking Draco's offered hand "but I probably will end up going with him since he and Charlotte broke up."

"Why would you be going with him?" asked Draco frowning.

"No one else has asked me." I said shrugging "Why does it matter who I go with?" I admit I was a little annoyed with him. I thought we had a moment in the corridor. A special moment. Clearly I had been wrong. He had not ignored me since then, quite the opposite, he was still my over protective, over bearing obnoxious best friend, but that was all. And with Pansy quite proudly telling everyone who would listen how he was taking her to the Yule Ball it wasn't really any of his concern. So again, why should it make any difference to him who I went with?

"I guess it doesn't then." Prat had the nerve to look sulky.

"Good because it shouldn't." What nerve he had being jealous now, he had a date. That was his problem.

"Good." He crossed his arms glaring at me.

"Fine!" Stupid boy. And his stupid pretty face.

"Fine!" Now he looked angry. Ass. Face.

I was tired of him and his ass face I stormed off to my room "Have a good time at the Ball with Pansy!"

"I will! Wait…what?!" Screw him. I slammed my door.

A few minutes later I heard a tapping on my door. "Go away!"

"Cass…talk to me." He sounded almost pleading. HAH! Draco, pleading with me? Ridiculous.

"I was talking to you, ass face, now I don't want to."

"Ass…? Cassandra open this damned door. NOW!" There he went with his stupid anger again.

"FINE!" I opened the door "What do you want?!"

"What did you mean when you said "have a nice time with Pansy"?"

"Just that. I will enjoy the Ball with Justin like I planned, and you can enjoy it with Pansy like you planned." I glared at him just like he had glared at me when I told him I was planning to go with Justin.

"Why would you think I planned to go with Pansy?" He seemed actually confused. Ass face.

"ummm… because that is what she has been saying for the last week, as if you didn't know!" I was tired of this conversation again.

"I didn't! I have been STUDYING! You know that thing I do, in the library, to get good grades, something you would know if you ever actually did it!"

"Well, still it IS what she says!" I crossed my arms looking down.

"Well she is wrong!" He was back to shouting. That was always fun.

"Well…so?" Did it really make any difference? So we didn't really have "a moment" so? I would live and he could take whoever he bloody well wanted to the damned Ball. I hope he tripped and ruined his new damned dress robes.

"What do you mean so?" he was quiet again all of a sudden.

"I mean what difference does it make? You have to take someone right?" I was getting irritated with him and I needed a good cry. I had been doing a lot of that lately. I was beginning to really hate puberty.

"I planned to take someone you idiot." He actually looked like I had personally annoyed him, which is absurd!

"Who?" Great, who was the latest girl who now had her claws in my… friend?

"YOU! You irritating witch! I had planned to take you and now you agreed to go with Justin!" he shouted this at me like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You never asked! And besides Justin hasn't even asked me!" If he wanted to go with me this was news to me.

"I didn't think I needed to I just assumed you knew I would want to." he was actually upset that I wasn't a mind reader? Ass face.

He was just infuriating "How would I know that?! I am not a mind reader you… you…"

"Ass face?" he supplied helpfully?

I just glared at him. I did not want to feel better yet I wanted to be angry at him.

"How did you know Justin would want to?" he sounded jealous again, but I had been down that road. We did not have a moment, he was not jealous.

"I just knew. With Justin it's just… different, OK. He is just the back up friend who takes me if no one else does and he broke up with his girlfriend.., and you never asked me." The infuriating prat had the nerve to smirk at me.

"So are you going with me or not?" Wow, be still my beating lunch, how romantic.

"Well, I suppose I have to go with someone and you did ask first." Two could play that game.

Not that I was looking for romance. I mean, right?

I owled my mother to tell her that I would need a dress. I think she was a little sad that I always addressed my letters "Dear Mother" now, but Mommy and Daddy were too childish. Well, at least in public. Except daddy would have none of it and looked so sad when I called him father just once. I never did that again. I guess Mother did not like it either because she now started sending back letters addressed "Dear Daughter." My mother is the queen of passive aggression.

But in any case she said she would personally take me shopping. I was very excited. A real almost grown up Ball with a real gown, not a little girl's princess ball gown, but something sophisticated.

She also mentioned how pleased she was that I would be going with Draco. What difference did it make to her who I went with?

I looked over at Isis "There is something I missing here, isn't there?"

Isis just looked at me as if to say "You didn't need a magic ferret to tell you that."

Was my mother playing matchmaker? I was only fifteen!