Okay. To inform you, this chapter, and the five chapters that will follow, are a prelude to the Yule Ball. The Yule Ball itself will have its own chapter after that, which is by far the longest chapter I have ever written in my life. And believe me, that says something, given some of the chapters I wrote for my Game of Thrones fanfictions.

Also, these chapters are going to broach a topic that is quite controversial in the Harry Potter community. A subject that has litterally started wars on the Internet. So, at the end, if you want to decapitate me because you disapprove of this ripple effect coming from Lily Evans still being alive, I ask you to first take a deep breath and calm yourself. Then, if you still want to decapitate me, you may do it, but do it gently please.

So, let's go into the chapter.

PARVATI IV

Describe, with examples, the ways in which Transforming Spells must be adapted when performing Cross-Species Switches.

Parvati copied the homework Professor McGonagall gave them in her planning. She looked at the clock. The bell would ring soon. She waited in anticipation for it to ring.

"I want a roll of parchment on my desk on the subject from each one of you at the beginning of the next lesson. As always, plagiarism and any kind of cheating will not be tolerated. And I strongly encourage you to put all your efforts in it. Your O.W.L.s are next year, and it is likely this subject will be evaluated. Now, I have an important… Weasley! Will you pay attention?"

Parvati almost jumped at McGonagall's outburst, and turned to look at Ronald who was holding… something looking like a bird but in a very brown color. Ron definitely had the face of someone who was just caught. She barely managed to not laugh at the sight of him.

"Sorry, professor," he said. "I… The lesson was over, and…"

"It is not over until I tell you so, Weasley. Now, put that away if you don't want me to remove points from Gryffindor."

Ron quickly hid the bird in his bag. McGonagall still looked at him with his piercing eyes.

"Now that Weasley has been kind enough to act his age, I have something to say to you all."

Parvati hoped it wouldn't be too long. It was almost time for lunch, and she was hungry.

"The Yule Ball is approaching." At that, Parvati almost snapped to attention. She didn't know what it was, but anything that was called a ball interested her. "It is a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests."

Parvati absolutely had no idea. Perhaps she should have read about the Triwizard Tournament like Hermione did, finally. She would have learned that the Tournament came with a ball for Christmas.

"The ball will be open only to fourth years and above, although you may invite a younger student if you wish."

Lavender squeaked next to her. Parvati elbowed her, and made a sign of head, then looked to Harry. He was agape. Parvati laughed at his expression and Lavender imitated her. His expression was just laughable.

"Dress robes will be worn," McGonagall continued. "The ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight, in the Great Hall."

Parvati kept looking at Harry from the corner of her eyes. He and Ron were really great laughingstock right now with their stunned expression. When she thought about that, it hadn't been long since she and Harry dated. About four months ago, they were together. Parvati did not have another boyfriend since. It was too bad that they weren't dating anymore. Parvati could have gone to this ball with him.

"Now then. The Yule Ball is of course a chance for us all to… let our hair down."

Lavender uncontrollably tried to contain her laughter, and Parvati was not far away from following her example. The very tight bun of McGonagall contrasted totally with what she just said.

"But that does not mean that we will be relaxing the standards of behavior we expect from Hogwarts students. I will be most seriously displeased if a Gryffindor student embarrasses the school in any way."

But Parvati couldn't care less about McGonagall's warning. They would have a ball. A ball! Now Parvati had a better idea why their list of material required a dress robe for this year. She was glad that she chose a very pretty one. She couldn't wait to have it arranged to Hogsmeade and to buy jewels to complement it. She was sure her parents wouldn't mind. She could ask them for some more money for the occasion. She was already thinking about the hairstyle she should choose for the ball when the bell rang.

Parvati stood up immediately, and she and Lavender started chatting right away.

"A ball! I can't believe it," she told her best friend.

"I guess we now know why they asked us to get dress robes before the year," Lavender said excitedly, echoing what Parvati thought earlier. "I didn't show it you yet, I think. Maybe we should go and take a look. You can show me yours at the same time."

"Potter. A word, if you please," McGonagall's voice pierced through the scuffle of students leaving. Parvati frowned, and looked towards Harry, who approached McGonagall as Parvati and Lavender were leaving the classroom. Lavender kept talking excitedly about the ball, saying Parvati wouldn't believe it when she would see her dress for the ball. However, as they progressed in the corridor, Parvati stopped her best friend before they could walk further.

"What? You don't want to see my dress?" Lavender asked.

"No, not at all. I mean, yes, of course, I want to see it," she corrected herself. "But I want to know why McGonagall asked Harry to stay behind."

"Oh. Okay," Lavender said, her expression uncertain.

Lavender still remained the only person to who Parvati told about her short relationship with Harry last summer. Knowing that it was Harry who broke up, Lavender took Parvati's defense, but the truth was that Parvati had finally wanted to remain kind of friends with Harry. Despite how this all ended, the time with him had been pleasant. Lavender was of a different opinion, often telling Parvati that she should forget about him. But it was useless advice. Parvati had already lost any notion of being Harry's girlfriend. Well, almost.

When Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire at Halloween, she was surprised like everyone else. But she was soon very impressed. She wondered how Harry managed to be in the Tournament. This was simply surreal. And for a time, that evening, she regretted that they were no longer together. But she failed to approach him enough to talk with him during the evening, and Harry avoided most people afterwards, spending most of his time with Hermione. Parvati soon abandoned the fleeting idea of getting back with him, which she didn't really seriously consider anyway. At least, not for a long time. And then, there was the first task that happened. Parvati had been afraid for Harry at this moment. Everyone was there when they saw the Hungarian Horntail. Even Lavender was, forgetting her grudge against him. During the party after Harry defeated the dragon, Parvati tried to approach Harry once more. They talked a little, and a part of her hoped that night that they would get back together. But it didn't happen. Harry talked to her normally, and showed no interest, despite Parvati's attempts to elicit his attention. Lavender almost encouraged her that night. Almost. Ever since, she was kind of indifferent to Harry, not saying a thing about Parvati's attempts to be friendly with her ex-boyfriend. Which explained why she said nothing. A month ago, she would probably have berated Parvati for wanting to be close to Harry again. But Parvati only wanted to be close to Harry in a friendly way now. Lavender didn't have to worry. The main reason to stay behind was to know why McGonagall asked one of Hogwarts' champions to have a word with her while the rest of the classroom emptied.

Harry came out of the classroom a few minutes later, head down. He didn't seem to notice the presence of the two girls on his way, so Parvati made their presence.

"Hey, Harry! What did McGonagall tell you?"

He looked up at her. He didn't seem to be in a good mood. "Why do you want to know? So you can tell the Daily Prophet about it?"

And he walked past them, almost bumping into Parvati on the way. She and Lavender looked at him walking away until he disappeared at a turn.

"What's gotten into him?" Lavender said, a revulsed expression on her face.

"No idea," Parvati said, frowning. "Have I done something wrong?"

"No," Lavender replied immediately. "He must be in a foul mood. Maybe the ball. Boys don't seem to look forward to it."

They giggled together at the mention of it. Though Parvati suspected that Harry must still hold a grudge against her because of that article Rita Skeeter published in the Daily Prophet, hence his comments. But she thought they were over it and again on speaking terms since the first task.

Parvati had done nothing wrong. Rita Skeeter asked many people a few questions on Harry when she came to Hogwarts. She questioned Parvati, and she was more than happy to answer. After all, she knew Harry quite well, having even dated him. She chose to not mention it to the journalist, but she talked to Skeeter about Harry in general, giving her opinion. However, Rita Skeeter seemed to not have considered her personal opinion, which she voiced, that Harry and Hermione were not in love. Parvati had been in their surroundings for a very long time, and unlike certain people like Hannah Abbott or Colin Creevey, she wasn't stupid enough to believe that there was anything more than friendship between Harry and Hermione. In her eyes, it was more likely for Hermione to date Neville or Ron than Harry. If they had any feeling towards each other, they would have dated a long time ago. But Rita Skeeter came to the conclusion that Harry and Hermione were in love. After the article was published, both Harry and Hermione gave her the cold shoulder. But it wasn't Parvati's fault. She was asked questions, and she answered them to the best of her knowledge. It wasn't her fault that the journalist misinterpreted her words or believed other people who thought they knew Harry and Hermione better. And anyway, Parvati found this article to be quite good overall, enhancing Harry's image after so many people turned on him for his name coming out of the Goblet of Fire. Parvati still didn't know how he managed such a feat when Fred and George Weasley failed, but she thought it was great.

"You wanted to show me your dress?" Parvati reminded her.

"Yes! And you're going to show me yours."

They ran to the Gryffindor Tower, pushing to later their lunch, and headed directly to their dormitory as soon as they crossed the frame of the Fat Lady.

"Here!" Lavender said as she opened her trunk and took a package out of it. She opened the paper delicately, and slowly, even more carefully spread the dress on her bed. It was a pretty pink dress, made of silk. When touching the material, Parvati felt how soft it was.

"Wow! It is really pretty," she commented.

Parvati's dress was also pink. She unpacked it and showed it to her best friend as well, although hers was in a more Indian style, and also more covering. That of Lavender only had little straps to cover the shoulders. Moreover, Parvati liked her own dress better than Lavender's, but she didn't dare to tell her that.

"The boy who's going to invite you will not be disappointed," Parvati told her, causing Lavender to blush furiously.

"I wonder with who I'll be going. Do you think we should ask our dates? Or should we wait to be asked?"

"I think it is better to wait. Let the boys make the first step. It will be funnier," Parvati declared. They both giggled once more.

They repacked their dresses and went down for lunch.

"Who would you to go to the ball with?" Lavender asked her on their way.

"I'm not sure." She could think about a few cute boys. "According to the Board of Love, it should be Dean."

They kept refining the Board since their summer before their third year. Parvati had been coupled with a few more people since the first iteration she performed with Hannah, but right now her name was back with Dean's. And she had to say that he wasn't bad-looking. Very far from it, even. Dean was relatively tall for their age, and handsome. He was kind, and Parvati could easily imagine herself dancing with him.

"It's true. He's not bad," Lavender said, a smile at the corner of her lips. "But if you could choose, if you really could choose any boy in the castle, who?"

Parvati tried to think. Which boy would she want to go with above all others. "I'm not sure," she replied. "There are a few I would like more than the others. Dean would be among them. And then… Michael Corner, I think."

"The handsome boy in Ravenclaw?"

Parvati nodded, displaying a large grin. "And also Cedric Diggory."

The girls giggled. "I wouldn't mind either," Lavender replied.

"And Harry."

On that, Lavender stopped. "Wait. You would go to the ball with Harry, after he dumped you?"

Parvati rolled her eyes. "Look, Lavender. I know it's over between us. But I wouldn't mind rekindling things with him for a single night. He's one of the champions, after all. Don't tell me you wouldn't want to arrive at the ball with one of them."

Lavender seemed to think for a moment. "Maybe. Though I would rather go with Cedric Diggory or Viktor Krum."

"I get it. I would like it me too. But aside from the champions, who would you like, Lavender?"

"Hmm… Wayne Hopkins."

"But he has a girlfriend!"

"I know, but I would like it if he didn't have one. And… Lee Jordan, too."

Parvati and Lavender discussed boys and which they would like to attend the ball with for the whole lunch. They also talked about it during the whole afternoon, during lessons, though it proved to be harder. It was only once they arrived in the common room that the two girls set on reworking their Board of Love.

In a corner of the common room, they rearranged names of the far more elaborate board. It now included all students of Hogwarts who were thirteen or over. They also added some students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, but not all of them figured since they didn't know the names of each one of them.

"So, for Hermione, will it be Neville or Ronald?" Parvati asked, making aloud a thought she had earlier today.

"I don't think so. They're not cerebral enough. We need someone else who's bookish," Lavender said. She shrugged. "If we want to try and guess who will go to the ball with who there, perhaps we shouldn't look at who would date who. After all, some people will go to the ball together as friends. I mean, there are a lot of boys and girls who will not be able to find someone they please."

"Yeah," Parvati said slowly. "Yes. I agree. In this case, and I can't believe I will actually suggest that, we could place Harry and Hermione together."

"But you always say they are only friends."

"I know, but that's the point. Harry has no girlfriend." A shadow went through Lavender's face, but Parvati ignored it. "The way I see it, he will want to go to the ball with someone he knows, not a girl he wants to date. Hermione is the best choice for that. And Hermione has no love life. She will want to go with a good friend as well. Harry is the best choice for her as well."

"Maybe," Lavender acknowledged. "Though she could decide to go with Ron too. Or even Neville."

Parvati made a grimace, and both girls laughed. "No, not Ron. The way Hermione is, she will not want to go with someone she argues with all the time. No, it's going to be Harry. Or maybe Neville. She gets along very well with him too."

"But what if Harry went to the ball with Ginny Weasley?"

Parvati laughed quickly. "Ron's little sister? You think?"

"Everyone knows she has a crush on him." Lavender indeed stated an evidence, and the laughter of the girls increased.

"That would be something great to see."

"But Hannah? I mean, we put her with Harry so often… I know it's almost meant as a joke, but now, who are we going to put her with?"

"Maybe Justin Finch-Fletchley?"

"Oh no. We can't. This one goes with Susan Bones. Because I surprised a conversation between Hannah and Ernie about these two. They go together."

"Oh. Then, let's put them together. As for Hannah… Ernie then?" Lavender nodded and arranged the board in consequence. "And what about Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum? They should come with someone, shouldn't they?"

"Certainly. Do you think there's any chance for those two to come together?"

"Well, Fleur Delacour could come with Cedric too."

"Or with Harry."

And they burst into laughs once more. It went like that for the whole evening. After a time, they had so much fun that some people began to come and see what they were working on. They ended up being six people arguing over pairings for the Ball on a continuous basis, while other people came and went. The whole evening was spent on this task, and they weren't done by the end of it. But time to go to bed came, and Parvati and Lavender had no choice, despite all the fun they had, to put away the board and climb the stairs to their dormitory.

"Do you know if someone was already invited for the ball?" Sophie Roper asked her as they brushed their teeth.

"No idea," Parvati replied. "But I guess there will be a few tomorrow. Boys will want the best girls before they're picked," she said with a grin.

"I hope one will invite me," Sophie said.

"There are almost as many boys than girls in the school. I'm sure one will."

The day the ball was announced, not only Parvati and Lavender, but also the whole school had been talking all day long about the event. Parvati dreamed of the ball that night, imagining herself dancing with Cedric Diggory, among others, under a large silvery globe.

The next morning, the excitement for the ball had not died down. Half the people were discussing it during breakfast. Parvati even heard two professors talking about it as they headed for the staff table. People were theorizing about everything on the ball. The food they would serve, how many people would attend, the kind of dance and music that would be played, the decorations. Boys and girls wondered what they would wear, and Parvati heard more than a few wonder aloud with who they would go to the ball.

When she and Lavender stood up to head for the lesson in Care of Magical Creatures, a class neither of them particularly appreciated, someone intercepted them as they walked across the Entrance Hall.

"Hey! Lavender!"

They turned to see Seamus, out of breath. "Yes, Seamus," Lavender asked him.

"Eh… Do you have a moment?"

"Yes, I do." Parvati was glad they had a reason, however small it was, to be delayed in whatever small way that existed to go to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"Eh… May I talk to you alone?"

Lavender looked surprised and puzzled. However, an idea came to Parvati's mind as her best friend answered. "You can tell me now."

Seamus looked rather uncomfortable, comforting Parvati in her idea. For a moment, he said nothing, hesitating. And then, he shook his hand, clenched his fists, and asked very quickly. "Do you want to go to the ball with me?"

Parvati couldn't retain a giggle as she saw the expression on the face of her friend. She looked stunned for a moment, but then she smiled and seemed delighted.

"Yes. I'd like it," Lavender replied, excited.

"Okay. Well, thanks."

And on that, Seamus walked away. Parvati kept laughing uncontrollably, and Lavender soon joined her.

"You're going to the ball with someone," Parvati managed to place.

Lavender was thrilled, and this showed all the way to Hagrid's cabin. They could be treating Skrewts all he wanted, nothing would make them lose their good mood.

"Now, we wait to know who's going to invite you," Lavender said during the class.

Parvati wondered who that would be.

So, not much in this chapter when we think about it (or maybe a lot, depending on what you read between the lines). But I believe the controversial topic doesn't need to be written down anymore, if there were people who didn't guess what it was at the very beginning.

Please review.

Next chapter: someone gets invited to the Yule Ball