Before we get into this, yes, I missed Round 1, and yes, I had a stand in. Don't blame me, I was the stupid one who thought they could write two stories while on vacation...

Mild Disclaimer: Canon Divergence

It was simply supposed to be a date to the Yule Ball. Harry had somehow managed to snag the Patil Twins and convinced them to go with us. Harry got Parvati and I got Padma. Parvati was more giggly and I could see that Harry was becoming uncomfortable with every passing minute.

I knew Padma vaguely, having had to sit next to her on numerous occasions whenever she sat with her sister in the Great Hall. She was a lot different than Parvati, and she was more reserved with her words. We never really spoke to each other, but secretly I admired her spirit to learn, much like Hermione to some degree.

As none of us had any reason to really dress up before now, I had a mental image of what to expect when I would see Padma come down the stairs. Boy, was I wrong. Somehow, Padma glowed. She wore a beautiful orange dress with matching heels and had a huge smile on her face. It was contagious, as I started smiling too. She reached the bottom of the stairs and stood in front of me.

"How are you doing tonight, Ron? Isn't it all pretty?"

"I can think of something prettier," I replied. Padma smiled even more and looked down. I swear she was blushing. I offered my arm and she chuckled and grabbed it.

"Lead the way, Ron!"

After we entered the Great Hall, we had some time to kill before the Ball started. We got some drinks and started to chat about our friends. It was then I realized something pretty crazy. Padma's laugh was angelic. It was at that point that buried feelings arose from the back of my heart. As I let her talk, I started to go through all of our limited encounters. Suddenly, I started to feel more than friendship for her.

I know it was wrong to jump from barely knowing someone to wanting to be more than friends in the span of about an hour, but here I was. I was going to ask if she wanted to dance but the Ball started officially. Harry walked in with Parvati, looking slightly less uncomfortable than he did in the dorm. Hermione was with Victor Krum, and she also looked gorgeous. However, as Padma was the one holding my hand at the moment, those thoughts about my best friend flew out the window.

After the Champions danced and Dumbledore had everyone seated for dinner, we all ordered our food and ate happily. Padma kept stealing glances at me, and I did the same to her. Some of my friends noticed (Hermione kicked me in the shin and winked at me) and soon I was starting to turn red. As soon as we finished our food, I stood up and offered my hand to Padma.

"Wanna dance?"

She smiled and grabbed my hand. "Sure, let's go!"

The Weird Sisters were playing on the stage when we got out to the dance floor. As we danced, I held onto her hands and occasionally her waist as we moved around each other to the music. With every touch I felt the world slow down. I could feel her soft skin through her dress and it was intoxicating. We kept dancing for a handful of songs until I could see that Padma was starting to get tired. We paused after the song ended and I gently nudged her outside.

We sat outside in the garden and Padma rested her head on my shoulder. I tentatively wrapped my arm around her shoulder and she seemed to shift closer. It was the picture perfect moment, and I knew that I would always be thinking about this moment when it came to me and Padma. No words had to be spoken, but I knew that she had enjoyed the night. Even though there were still a few hours left, Padma seemed content on staying outside on my shoulder.

If she sticks around after the ball, I might ask her to Hogsmeade. I might not stop thinking about her anyway. Maybe we'll kiss on our date? What if she doesn't want a date? I looked to my right and saw her, eyes open and smiling at me while her head rested on my shoulder.

Okay, she'll want the date. The Yule Ball was simply the practice round. But for what?

Love. I might not love her now, but I really do like her enough to want to love her in the future.

House: Ravenclaw

Class: Ancient Runes

Category: Standard

Word Count: 753

Prompt: [Pairing] Padma Patil/Ron Weasley

Thanks for reading!

BC5