Author's Note: *creeps in slowly* Hey guys…long time no see, huh? *chuckles nervously but stops when no one else laughs* Um, so I know it's been over two weeks since my last update and I would like to apologize for that. I'll give you my sorry excuse later, you've waited long enough for this without me talking right now. So, without further ado, here is the chapter you've all been waiting for…the Yule Ball!

Chapter 16 The Yule Ball

"Ouch Parvati, that was my eye!" said Lavender as she rubbed her eye.

"Well, you keep moving away from me!" snapped Parvati, who was holding an eye shadow brush.

It was the day of the Yule Ball and the fourth year Gryffindor girls were getting ready. Maggie had managed to get into the Slytherin common room and was getting ready with her "real" friends.

"Are you sure this'll work, Alex?" Hermione asked, looking nervously at the gel Alex was running through her friend's bushy hair.

"You bet!" she said, "I whipped it up myself yesterday evening, it's as fresh as can be."

Alex had mysteriously received a package two days ago with a book of witch's beauty tips. All the note said was, "Knock that Ravenclaw dead! Of course I don't mean literally, what kind of a father would say that…? Please don't answer that question. Your loving canine, Orion." Alex had found a hair straightening potion and had made it for them all to use, mostly Hermione because everyone else's hair was manageable.

"Now let that soak for five minutes while I get everything else ready," said Alex. She washed her hands off in the bathroom and pulled out her make-up bag she had asked Uncle Monty to send her. She then pulled out her wand and looked up the curling iron spell. By that time, Hermione had washed her hair and was sitting in a chair by a mirror Alex had conjured for them to use.

Alex began putting Hermione's now straight hair into an up-do. She let a few strands by Hermione's face hang down and some of her hair drape over her shoulder. When she finished, Alex let Hermione take a look.

"Oh wow," Hermione whispered, looking at herself and using a mirror to see the back of her head, "I look amazing."

Alex then helped do Hermione's make-up, deciding to go light for her friend. Hermione never wore makeup and she really didn't need to. When she was finished, Alex then got herself ready. She put her hair in a low ponytail, wrapped some strands around it, and used her wand to curl the rest of her hair. She then applied some makeup and got into her dress. Finally, it was time for them to head down and Alex took one final look in the mirror. She was taken aback by how grown up she looked. She grinned at her reflection and followed her friends to the Great Hall.

It was packed with students, all either talking eagerly with their dates or looking over the heads to find their dates. Alex froze at the top of the stairs for a moment before Hermione looked back for her and frowned.

"You all right, Alex?" she asked with concern, "You look…frightened."

"Me, frightened?" said Alex, cringing at how her voice started squeaking. Hermione shook her head and walked back up to her best friend, taking her hand in hers.

"You look lovely, don't you worry," said Hermione as they walked down the stairs together, "Your date would be crazy not to like you and just find me if you have any problems."

"Thanks Hermione, you're a great friend. Now go run off and find that Bulgarian Prince Charming of yours," Alex said with a wink and a smirk.

Hermione rolled her eyes and hurried off to find Krum while Parvati went to find her sister. Lavender stayed with Alex until Seamus Finnegan took her away so Alex decided to get out of the crowd and stood by the stairs, waiting for her date as her patience wore thin. She was already nervous so coupling that with the fact that she couldn't find her date wasn't making her a very happy camper at the moment.

"Alex?"

She turned and saw Draco looking surprised at her. All her impatience was swept away and she grinned.

"You sound unsure," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"I…didn't even recognize you at first," he said in awe, so unlike his usual cool and collected self, "You look so…different."

"I hope you mean in a good way," said Alex as she shifted nervously. Seeing Draco acting strange was making her worried.

"Yes, I definitely do," he said and smiled, his usual self returning as he strolled over to her, "Where's you date?"

"Not here yet," said Alex and her annoyance returned, "I looked in the crowd but I can't find him. He's probably in there somewhere. Where's Parkinson? I thought she'd be sticking to you like glue."

"She's around," said Draco, vaguely waving his hand toward the crowd, "Alex, you-"

"There you are!" Nick shouted, making his way over and smiling widely, "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

He handed Alex a corsage with red roses and white baby's breath. Alex put it on and thanked Nick.

"Well, we should get going," Nick said, casting an eye at Malfoy nervously.

"All right. I'll see you later, Draco," said Alex, taking Nick's arm.

"Don't forget, Alex," Draco said, though he was looking at Nick, "Save me a dance."

Nick led her away toward the door, his face unreadable. "What was that all about?" he asked.

"I promised Draco to save a dance for him," Alex said, "I mean, he's my friend and you're my friend. I should be able to dance with you both."

"I know but I was the one who asked you, not him," Nick said coolly. Alex didn't like his tone and was about to call him on it when the doors opened and everyone made their way in.

Alex found Ron and Padma and went over to them, still on Nick's arm. They sat at a table and soon Lavender and Seamus came with Ginny and Neville.

"I didn't know you were coming," said Alex to Ginny with a smile, "That's great!"

"Well, he asked me and I wasn't going to be able to go anyway, so I said yes," said Ginny and smiled at Neville as she continued, "Plus, he's been practicing his dance moves for the past three weeks. I'm excited to have a partner who can actually dance." Neville blushed slightly while Alex chuckled and gave him a good-natured wink.

Ron was moody because his dress robes looked like they came out of the sixteen hundreds. Alex guessed he hadn't noticed Hermione yet because he was too worried about the lace on his sleeves and how he smelled like his Great Aunt Tessie.

"Come here, Ron," said Alex, drawing her wand. She tapped the lace and it vanished, leaving a nice hem, "I can't do much with the color but…" She tapped her wand again and it turned more crimson than maroon.

"You're a lifesaver, Alex," said Ron relieved, "I don't know what I would've done without you." Padma also gave her a look of relief while Nick just glared at her. Giving him a confused stare, Alex turned to her plate and saw a menu. She took it and looked it over.

"Hmm…the roast beef sounds good," she said out loud, "What do you all like?"

"I'm a vegetarian," Nick said. There was an awkward silence and Alex nodded politely. "So I would prefer if no one ordered meat."

Alex gave him a raised eyebrow look. Was he trying to tell them what to eat? Alex began to wonder if this was a bad idea but shrugged it off. Once the dancing started, it would get better…right? At least she wouldn't have to talk to him.

"Good evening, everyone!" Dumbledore said merrily and the Hall fell silent, "I know everyone must be hungry, so just tell your plate what you want for dinner and it will appear. Enjoy the festivities!"

"Roast beef, please," said Alex and it appeared. Nick eyed the meat with disgust, but Alex didn't care as she tucked in to her food.

To her amusement, she noticed that everyone else, besides Nick who got a salad, either ordered the roast beef or chicken. Finally, the plates cleared and desserts were served. Alex had only taken a few small truffles when Nick said something that only she could hear.

"I think you've had quite enough of those," he said quietly, "And I wish you wouldn't try to make me look like an idiot, seeing as I don't know anyone here and you know them all."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," said Alex with angry sarcasm, "I didn't-"

But she was cut off when Professor McGonagall rose to her feet. The plates were cleared once more and the tables disappeared. Everyone stood up as their chairs went to the far walls of the Great Hall. A stage appeared and the lights dimmed a little.

"It's now time for the champions to go out onto the dance floor to start the Yule Ball," said Professor McGonagall.

Alex saw Harry with Parvati and Hermione with Krum. Hermione looked like she was on cloud nine as people whispered and pointed at her.

"Who's that with Krum?" Ginny asked curiously, "She looks familiar."

"She should," said Alex happily, "That's Hermione. I do good work, don't I?"

"What?" said Ron, overhearing Alex, "She went with Krum?"

"Yep, she told you she was going with someone," said Alex. Ron tried to speak, only managing to open and close his mouth so Alex said, "So Ron, do you think she's a girl now?" Ron continued to look like a fish out of water and Alex smirked triumphantly.

"You did a great job, Alex," said Harry, trying not to laugh at Ron's expression, "Hermione looks very pretty tonight. I wonder if Krum will let me have one dance…just as friends of course," he added with a smirk, seeing Ron's look of horror.

"I'm sure he will," Alex said, "Ron, you could do that if you wanted to as well."

Ron didn't answer but continued to stare at the couple. After the champions danced for a minute, Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall walked out onto the floor and soon many others did. Nick held out his hand and Alex took it, though grudgingly. She was still angry with him about his comments.

She quickly deduced he was a horrible dancer, but he thought he was the best out there. He was too busy making fun of other people's footwork to realize he was walking all over Alex's feet. After two songs, Alex excused herself to get a drink and limped over to the punch bowl. She saw Hermione and Krum talking and headed toward them.

"Hi guys!" she said as cheerfully as she could muster, "Enjoying yourselves?"

"Yes," said Hermione, "Where's your date?"

"Oh, I actually lost him," Alex said not too sadly, "I went to get a drink and he's gone."

"Is that not him vere?" Krum asked, pointing behind Alex.

Alex looked and sure enough it was. He was looking over the heads for her and she quickly turned around so he wouldn't see her face.

"Yes it is," she said, hating how fake her voice sounded, "Thank you so much."

"Viktor, could you excuse Alex and me for a moment?" Hermione asked and he nodded. Once he was gone, Hermione turned to Alex. "What's wrong? I thought Nick was a nice guy."

"I don't know," said Alex, sighing, "There's something about his tone that I don't like. Plus he practically walked all over my feet while we danced."

"I'm sure he's nervous, just like how you were before in the Entrance Hall," Hermione said with a smile, "You can't avoid him all night; he did ask you here after all."

"Yeah, I know," Alex said heavily. There was silence before Alex asked, "Where are Ron and Harry?"

"Sitting over there," said Hermione, pointing toward the wall, "Do you think they recognize me?"

"Well, Ron didn't until I mentioned to Ginny who Krum's date was. He seemed so surprised, it was priceless!" said Alex with a laugh, feeling slightly better, "Come on, let's go see them."

They walked over to the boys, both too busy watching the dancers to notice them. Alex sat down next to Harry and he didn't even move. She followed his eyes and saw Cho dancing with Cedric.

"If it makes a difference," Alex whispered, causing Harry to jump, "I think you'd be a better date for her. At least you're funny."

"Thanks," said Harry, "You look great by the way."

"Thank you. How's Ron doing?"

"He hasn't danced once," said Harry in a low voice, "Keeps staring into the crowd, his face getting stony when he sees them."

Alex nodded. She knew exactly who "them" were. Hermione nervously approached Ron and sat next to him.

"Where's your date?" Ron asked coldly.

"I think he's getting drinks," said Hermione, "You both are welcome to join us."

"I'd rather not."

"Is there a problem? You seem a little angry with me, and I have no idea why," Hermione said testily.

"Yeah, there's a problem and you know exactly what it is," Ron said, his voice rising just a little, "Krum's the Drumstrang champion! He's competing against Harry for Merlin's sake! You're from Hogwarts, yet you're getting cozy with the enemy!"

"Getting cozy with the enemy?" said Hermione, outraged, "How dare you say that when you were all excited and wanted his stupid autograph! This competition is to bring three different schools together, to get to know other people."

"I think he wants to do more than get to know you, Hermione," said Ron, "He's seventeen, the only thing he sees when he looks at you is-"

"Enough Ron!" snapped Hermione, standing up and shaking with anger, "You know what I think? I think you're jealous because it took you four years to see I was a girl and it took Krum a matter of seconds!"

"Jealous? I'm not jealous at all!" said Ron, standing up too.

"And there's an easy way for all this to never happen again! Next time there's a ball, pluck up your Gryffindor courage and ask me for Merlin's sake!"

Hermione spun on her heel and stormed off. Ron sat down fuming and Harry turned to Alex.

"Wow," he said, "This is awkward."

"There you are, Alex." It was Nick. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

He held out his hand and Alex took it, sending Harry a "Save me!" look. To Alex's great relief, Harry understood.

"Now wait a moment," he said, standing up and cutting Nick off, "I don't think we've met before. I'm Harry, Alex's friend. Who are you?"

"I'm Nick. Alex and I are in Arithmancy class together."

"That's nice," Harry said, taking Nick's arm and dragging him over to Ron and the others, "Now, do you play Quidditch?"

Alex made a mental note to thank Harry many times for the favor. She slipped into the crowd and went to get some fresh air. As she walked down the garden paths, she saw a few couples sitting on the benches, staring at the stars.

"Alex, Alex, Alex," she spun around and saw Nick coming toward her, "I can't shake the feeling you're trying to get rid of me."

He stopped, staring past her and Alex saw his face contort into an ugly position. He took three long strides over to a bench where two people were sitting, a boy with blonde hair and hazel eyes and a girl who looked a lot like Nick.

"Vanessa," Nick said and the girl jumped, looking terrified, "I thought I told you to stay in the common room."

"N-Nick," Vanessa said, almost to the point of tears, "Please, let me explain."

"And who are you?" Nick spat, turning to the boy.

"Look man," the boy said, standing up, "I invited her to come so if you want to get mad, get mad at me all right?"

"Get out of my sight."

"Just go, Tommy," Vanessa whispered, "It's better if you just leave."

The boy called Tommy looked at Nick to Vanessa and left, although it was obviously against his better judgment. Nick then turned to the girl, seeming to forget Alex was right there.

"Why do you never listen, sister?" Nick asked, taking a step toward her, "I'm only looking out for you."

"I'm tired of you telling me what to do, Nick," Vanessa said, standing up. She only came up to her brother's chest but she drew herself up and set her face, "I want to live my own life, not have you running it for me. Ever since Dad died, you've tried to tell me how to live my life and I'm sick and tired of-"

Nick did the unthinkable. He raised his hand and struck his sister across the face. But the horror of it was, he was smiling and laughing as Vanessa fell onto the bench, holding her face.

"You're so funny when you try to stand up to me, but it never works!" he said, laughing. He eventually stopped and continued in a serious voice, "Now go back to your common room and if I see you here again, you'll be sorry."

Vanessa picked herself up and walked off. Alex and Vanessa's eyes met and Alex saw the years of pain in them. They seemed to give a warning that said, "Stay away, run while you still can." Alex stared as Nick sighed and put a hand to his head.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Alex," he said forlornly, "I really love Vanessa and she just doesn't understand. I'm just trying to be a good man of the house after…after my father died."

He walked over to her and held her shoulders hard. Alex tried to wrestle away but he held her fast.

"Do you understand, Alex? That's the only way I can control her. She won't listen to me otherwise. She's become so much more free-spirited since our father's death."

"There are other ways that would be less painful," said Alex venomously.

"I've tried," Nick said, tears forming in his eyes, "But it just doesn't work. Maybe…maybe you could help me get better at it. Maybe that's why we met each other, you were meant to help me." He let her go and sat on the bench, shoulders shaking. Her mind seemed numb with shock and horror. Unable to think of anything else, Alex sat down and patted his back.

Nick wiped his eyes and smiled. He stood up and held out his hand. Alex took it and he led her back inside, Alex feeling like a robot. He went onto the dance floor and she had to deal with the torture of her feet being trod upon for three songs, but she didn't notice. Her mind was somewhere else as she tried to piece together what she had just witnessed. Someone tapped Alex's shoulder, pulling her out of her musings, and she turned to see Draco.

"Do you mind if I steal her for a song or two?" he asked Nick.

Nick let Alex go and stormed off. Alex let out a sigh of relief and smiled.

"Thank you so much," she said as Draco put a hand on her waist and the other in her own hand. Already, it seemed as if everything from before was just a terrible nightmare. Alex could feel herself returning to normal as she continued, "My feet are bloody stumps from being stepped on."

"How do you know if I'm any better?" Draco asked with a playful smirk.

"Well, I'm praying you are because if not, I'll be very disappointed."

The music picked up and they began to dance. Thankfully, Draco was a great dancer. He never stepped on Alex's feet and didn't mind twirling her around a little and laughing while Nick had been very serious in his dancing. Almost too soon, the song ended and the crowd applauded. The lead singer, a witch, spoke into the microphone.

"Thank you Hogwarts for having us!" she said and the crowd cheered, "It's almost time to leave but before we do, we've had some undercover judges walking around and watching you all dance. We have found our winners and the judges are coming now to find you. We're taking a short break while that happens but we ask you all to stay where you are. Thanks!"

"So your date isn't all you hoped for?" Draco asked as they waited for the winners to be found.

"No," said Alex, barely repressing a shudder and wondering if she should tell him what she witnessed, "Not at all. He seemed nice, but I've seen another side to him. How's Parkinson?"

"Annoying, as always," he said with a shrug, "Can't dance worth a damn and she always tries to play with my hair." Draco looked at Alex for a moment and cocked his head to the side. "Hey, are you all right?" he asked worriedly.

"Why do you ask?"

"I dunno," he said, seeming confused himself, "I just…You seemed a bit off while we were dancing. I mean, you were happy and all and that's great, but I just have the feeling that not everything is as happy as you'd have it appear."

Alex bit her lip and looked at her feet for a moment. It seemed she couldn't hide anything from Draco. Finally, she looked up and opened her mouth to tell Draco everything when someone again tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," a little man said, "Congratulations, you are the winners of the dance competition."

"Oh," said Alex, taken aback, "You know, we didn't come together."

"It does not matter," the man said, "You two danced and were the best. You each get a trophy."

He handed each of them a golden trophy with two people dancing on top. The man went back into the crowd and the music picked up again, a slower song. Alex put her hands around Draco's neck and he put his on her waist as they rocked back and forth to the music.

"That's pretty funny," said Draco, "We won the competition without knowing it."

"Yeah," said Alex, "You know, you should come to the dance studio this summer and we can show off our trophies."

"If I can get away, I'd like that," Draco said with a smile.

Alex grinned as they danced a little more. She looked at Draco and still saw the concern written clearly in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, she started talking.

"Listen, about before, I really was having a fun time dancing. I guess I was just a bit…preoccupied with my thoughts."

"What were you thinking about?" he whispered.

"I…well, it's just that Nick—"

Suddenly, someone grabbed Alex's shoulder and pulled her back. Draco's one arm was pulled away from her but the other quickly went around her waist, almost protectively. Alex looked to see Pansy Parkinson glaring lividly at her.

"He's my date Ratcliff!" she said angrily, "Go get your own!"

"Terribly sorry," said Alex sarcastically, taking a step away and Draco's arm fell to his side. Alex returned her voice to normal and said to Draco, "Thanks for being my partner."

"No, thank you."

Nick suddenly appeared at her side and she was forced to dance with him. She saw Parkinson and Draco move into the crowd and they vanished. The happiness she had before started slipping away and was replaced by the numb musing she had before Draco asked to dance with her.

"I have something to show you," Nick whispered and led her out of the Great Hall and toward a corridor. She didn't put up a fight but blindly followed him without a word. The music started getting fainter and fainter as they walked. Something inside Alex was telling her that this wasn't a good idea. After a minute of walking, Alex slipped her hand out of his and stopped. She was finally coming to her senses, recovering from her earlier shock and confusion.

"Nick, let's head back. The dance is almost over and I want to see my friends."

"You mean like Malfoy? You seemed to be pretty "friendly" with him."

"He and I are very good friends," snapped Alex, "And I would appreciate it if you would stop talking about any of my friends like that."

"Oh Alex," said Nick with a smile, but not one Alex liked much, "You're still living in this fantasy world where everyone just wants to be friends." He walked over to her and held her arms tightly, "Can we be more than friends?"

"Let me go, Nick," said Alex as calmly as she could, "Let…me…go!"

"No, I don't think I want to," he said. He pulled her arms hard and practically dragged her down the corridor. Alex fought with all her might but he was too strong. They stopped at a door and Nick was about to open it when footsteps came pounding down the corridor and someone tackled Nick to the ground, wrenching Alex free. She backed away quickly and saw the two people wrestling each other. Finally, the boy punched Nick in the head and he was knocked unconscious. The boy stood up shakily and turned to Alex. It was Draco.

"Holy Merlin!" said Alex, running to him, "Draco, what are you doing here?"

"I was coming from the bathroom and I heard you and him talking," he said, gesturing to Nick and wiping some blood from his lip, "I just turned the corner and I saw him dragging you down here. I followed and I had a feeling of what he was going to do."

Draco walked to the door and opened it. It was a broom closet. Alex stared at the closet, from the unconscious Nick, to Draco. It was all too much for her. She sat against the wall and held her legs to her chest, silent tears streaming down her face. Draco sat down next to her as she cried.

"I…I saw him hit his sister," she whispered, "Didn't even hesitate and it sounded like he did it often. I can't even imagine what he would have done to me if I tried to get out." She looked at Draco, her best friend even though they were from different Houses.

"I told you I'd never let anything happen to you, remember?" he asked and Alex nodded. He put his arm around her and they sat there until Alex was ready to go back.

"What should we do with him?" she asked, wiping her eyes and kicking Nick none too gently in the ribs, "We can't just leave him here."

Draco picked Nick up and dragged him into the closet. He came out and shut the door. The two friends went back to the Entrance Hall and found everyone standing around. The dance must have just ended. Alex gave Draco a hug and went off to find her friends. The crowd had almost thinned out and Alex was just thinking of going back upstairs when she found Hermione sitting on the steps with Parvati, Padma, and Lavender. Hermione had her head in her hands and her shoulders were shaking.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Alex asked gently, sitting down with the other girls.

"Ron," whispered Lavender as Hermione didn't answer but kept crying, "He ignored her and Krum the entire night, giving them dirty looks and such. And he just yelled at her for dancing with other boys besides her date, implying that she was being a flirt."

"Oh Hermione," said Alex soothingly, "Please don't cry over stupid stuff like that. Save your tears for important things. Ron only did that because he's jealous and doesn't want to say it."

The girls went back to the common room, Padma to the Ravenclaw one, and fell straight to sleep. Even Alex, with all that happened, went to bed in an instant.

Author's Note: Wow, this is quite a long chapter for me! Hopefully it makes up for the extremely long wait I put you guys through. I had my boyfriend's prom and graduation the first week of June, then I went on a retreat the following week, and this past week I was on my version of senior week. Basically, I went on vacation with my family and spent the time on a beach getting tan and staying completely sober. Senior week isn't really my scene so I was happy. If you're a senior and went on senior week, I hope you had a really fun time. If you're going on senior week soon, have fun and stay safe!

Now since I've been so busy, I didn't get to send everyone a PM so here are my review responses:

Aileen Autarkeia: Haha, don't worry! That's cool that you're homeschooled, a couple of my friends were homeschooled before they came to my high school. Yes, Hermione has good reason not to trust Draco after the way he's treated her these last three years. Little Button missed you very much and was very happy to see you. :D Thanks for your reviews!

MegartXD: Yay! I'm so glad that you're enjoying the series so far! Sorry you had to wait so long for this update but please let me know what you thought. Thanks for your review!

Are you calling me crazy: I'm dying to know what you thought of my Yule Ball scene! Please let me know! Also, to answer your question, I did change that from the original books and movies in my series. It's a little detail in the first book during the Sorting, but I did want it to be different in my stories than from J.K Rowling's because of later events and such. Finally, on a different note, I thought of you while I was on vacation this last week! I saw a T-shirt that had a dog on a skateboard and underneath it said, "That's the way I roll". I started laughing and wanted to buy it, but they didn't have my size. Anyway, thanks for your review!

To all my other reviewers, those who put me on alert, and those who put me in their favorites, thank you so very much! You all are amazing and I love seeing my email full of notifications of reviews, alerts, and favorites. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter and I promise that the review button, aka Little Button, won't hurt you. :D