"What are you going to do?" Emily asked me. She was sitting on the edge of my bed letting her short legs swing freely.
"What do you mean?" I asked stretching my arms high above my head. I faked a yawn hoping she'd think I was too tired to have this conversation.
"Well I mean about the Yule Ball...who are you going to go with?" She stared through her bouncy blonde curls timidly.
"Oh that." I sighed heaving myself off the bed and began crossing back and forth around the room. It had been a week since professor McGonagall had told us about the ball. Rather than use that time to find a...partner for the dance, I had tried to be more productive. By productive I mean dedicating every second of my free time to trying to get out of going. I figured Remus was the weakest link to crack, so I tried convincing him that I was devastated that I wouldn't be able to come home for Christmas. Apparently he was prepared for such an excuse because he kindly reminded me that the Yule Ball wouldn't start until 8pm so Severus and I could still floo home for Christmas and would have plenty of time to floo back for the Ball. When it became obvious to me that he would budge on the subject I tried Dumbledore. Who insisted I attend the Ball both for his honor and in the good name of Hogwarts. He explained that it already looked as if Hogwarts had been shown a large amount of favoritism by having two champions, it would be "simply bad form" if one of the Hogwarts Champions was absent from such an important festivity. By the time I reached Severus he must have already spoken with Remus and Dumbledore. When I made my way down to his office I had barely stepped through the door before he barked "You're going to that Ball Allison." And refused to say anything else on the matter.
Which left me in my current predicament, pacing the room in a last ditch effort to get out of the Yule Ball. I would barely get out a suggestion before Emily would shoot it down.
"Maybe I could..."
"You know it won't work." She'd cut me off.
"I could try to..."
"But you won't be able to."
"Well what do you suggest?" I blurted in exasperation.
"Find a date." I snorted. "I'm serious Alice. You're very pretty I'm sure you have boys ask you all the time."
"No they don't Em. I mean way back when we started at Hogwarts I think I might have fancied Draco but..."
"So ask Draco! Great idea!" I shook my head at her.
"No bad idea. Draco and I are just friends, and we're not even good friends. All that aside, his parents are part of an organization that is basically dedicated to killing me."
"I forgot about that...but you have lots of friends Alice you could ask someone you're closer to. Someone like Ron." She looked down at her shoes when she said his name.
"I thought you were going to ask Ron." I asked causing her to look up in Alarm.
"Me ask Ron? W-why would you think that?" She stared at me from the bed as I paced the room.
"Well I saw how disappointed you looked when he first said that he was going home for Christmas, and then I saw how happy you got when he said he'd stay at Hogwarts with us. I've also noticed how hopeful your eyes get every time he says he still doesn't have someone to go with. I can tell you like him Emily."
"Is it that obvious?" She asked burying her face in her hands. I sat next to her on the bed and put my arm around her shoulder.
"Only to someone who knows you as well as I do. You should ask him to the ball."
"But you're a Hogwarts Champion you need to have someone..." I held my hand up stopping her.
"If Ronald Weasley were the last boy left on earth, I'd still rather go to the Yule Ball with Harry. Trust me. He's all yours."
"Then who are you going to go with?" She asked me again.
"I've still got a bit of time." I reassured her. "I'm sure I can find someone to go with, I'll just have to look harder. In the meantime," I said pushing myself up off the bed again, "I've got to meet Harry in the library so I can help him fudge his divinations homework. Want to come along? I'm sure Ron will be there..."
"I'm never going to hear the end of this am I?" She asked regrettably as she followed me out of the room.
"Nope." I answered shaking my head.
"I told you she'd bring Emily!" Harry exclaimed to Ron as we approached the table in the back of the library where they sat.
"Was I not supposed to?" I asked flashing my eyes between the two of them.
"No it's perfect!" Ron cheered. I noticed the smile that spread across Emily's face.
"Ron and I can't find our notes from class and we were hoping you'd bring Emily along so maybe at least one of us would know what the homework was."
"Well lucky for you, Emily thought to bring her notes along." I told them as I plopped down next to Harry. This forced Emily to sit in the only empty seat next to Ron.
"What took you so long to get here anyway?" Ron asked.
"Emily and I were talking about my Yule Ball predicament." I answered.
"You still haven't found someone to go with?" Harry scolded.
"Sorry who did you say you were going with again Potter?" I said leaning in with my head on my hand.
"Not that it's any of your business, Allison, but I plan on asking Cho Chang…as soon as I can get her away from all those Ravenclaws she's always surrounded by." I rolled my eyes at my brother's lame excuse for why he was still unable to find a date.
"I suppose you're not in much better shape are you?" I nodded in Ron's direction but before he was able to answer me Emily burst out,
"Will you go to the ball with me Ron?!" She looked shocked as she covered her mouth in horror. Ron looked at Harry, and then to me before shrugging his shoulders.
"Sure." A wide smile spread across both of their faces as they turned away from each other and towards their homework.
"We thought we heard our darling little brother was in here." George Weasley said poking his head out from a bookshelf.
"Congratulations on the date little Ronald, can't wait to tell mum!" Fred said peaking in from another corner.
"Least I've got a date!" Ron retorted.
"And what makes you think we haven't got dates Ronny?" Fred asked.
"Well who are you going with then?" Harry asked curiously. George picked up a piece of parchment from our table and crumpled it into a ball. He then tossed the parchment ball across the library so it hit Angelina Johnson.
"Oi! Angelina!" He called out ignoring the angry glared from Madame Madam Pince. Angelina, who had been chatting with Alicia Spinnet looked over her shoulder, before calling back to him.
"What George?" she sighed.
"Want to come to the ball with me?" he asked. Angelina eyed George up and down before nodding.
"All right, then," she answered and she turned back to Alicia continuing their chat.
"Well I'm going with Angelina." George said finally turning back to Harry.
"What about you Fred?" I asked expecting him to pull a similar stunt to one of the other sixth year girls at Angelina's table.
"It's a surprise." He answered shortly. "Now if you don't mind I've got some business to discuss with Harry."
"Fred I've really got some homework to do so if you don't mind…"
"Actually Harry I do. Follow me, this won't take very long." Fred turned on his heels and walked out of the library.
"You'd better follow him Harry." George advised. Harry looked between Ron, Emily, George and I before sighing and following after Fred.
"What's Fred want with Harry?" I asked George as he sat down in Harry's empty chair.
"I imagine you'll find out soon enough. So what homework are we working on young fourth years?" George said as he began digging through Emily's notes and Ron and Harry's star charts.
"Divinations." Emily answered cheerily.
"Rubbish." George said decidedly as he tossed his handfuls of parchment back on the table. "Who do you reckon they'll pick as the new Gryffindor Quidditch Captain next year?" And just like that the Divinations homework was long forgotten as Ron and George launched into a discussion about their possible future Quidditch Captains. Since Emily had done her homework days ago she began talking to me about different styles of dress robes. My brain bounced back and forth trying to follow both conversations. Eventually Fred returned with Harry both were smiling thought I wasn't sure I wanted to know why. Once Harry and Fred had joined us at the table any hope of the boys getting their homework done was lost. The four of them were now playing with an assortment of Fred and George's joke stuff, making quite a bit of noise. Not wanting to lose our library privileges for the rest of the year Emily and I ducked out of the library leaving the boys to their own demises.